


Magic Tropes

by visionaryScribe



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Camilia is Trying Her Best, Curses, Eda Clawthorne is Luz Noceda's Parent, Found Family, Found Family Magic, Gen, Good Parent Camilia Noceda, Good Parent Eda Clawthorne, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Let Eda Swear, Luz Can Sense Magic, Luz Noceda Angst, Magic Nerd Luz Noceda, Minor Original Character(s), No Beta We Eat Snow Like Eda, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Owlbeast - Freeform, Rating May Change, Tags Are Hard, Texting, wild magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:48:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26879980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/visionaryScribe/pseuds/visionaryScribe
Summary: Luz Noceda was always the weird kid.She had weird dreams of things that didn't exist. She had a sense for things that she couldn't explain.It figures that once she finds herself in the land she’s been dreaming of every night, she doesn’t want to leave.
Relationships: Eda Clawthorne & King & Luz Noceda, Eda Clawthorne & Lilith Clawthorne, Eda Clawthorne & Luz Noceda
Comments: 159
Kudos: 235





	1. Not! Trapped In Another World

“Tiny trash thief!”

Luz Noceda was always the weird kid.

“Stop adorably hopping away you– huh?”

She had weird dreams of things that didn't exist. She had a sense for things that she couldn't explain. Luz calls it a “don’t mess with me” vibe but it was really more than that. She just didn't have the words in her vocabulary to tell people why Mr. Jenkins’ house was a bad place to be, no offense meant to him at all, because there was no way to describe the feeling in a way that doesn’t make her look like a lunatic.

No one but her mom liked her or wanted her around. No one believed her when she said things she learned from her dreams and the books she read and what she researched online, even though they did actually work. Things like how griffins have spider breath but it was out there and not popular opinion so no one cared to listen. Things like the herbal teas she made were something a lot of people used, even. But because it was Luz “Head stuck in the clouds” Noceda, no one gave her a second thought. She disturbed people. She brought things to school that she shouldn't have, the snakes and firecrackers especially if they were being ranked. Luz knew this in hindsight each and every time but until recently had no reason to care. Because no one liked her anyway. It didn't matter what she did.

The only person that mattered to her, the only person whose opinion and approval had mattered to her, was her mom.

And she was supposed to have been sent away to a summer camp in the hope that it would reign her in, teach her responsibility or something. A desperate bid by a mother stretched too thin by work and her own daughter’s antics. A plea that Luz ignored by following this owl and running right into this tent full of trinkets, children's toys, and other things that had to have been pulled from the trash.

“Woah. And here I thought I had a lot of weird stuff.”

But what caught her eye and rooted her to the spot wasn't anything she could physically see with her eyes. There was a lady up at the front of the tent who now had the bag with her book in it. A lady who gave off a “don't mess with me” vibe so strong that it was triggering Luz’s fight or flight response. The teen balled her hands into fists to keep them from shaking too badly but she couldn't just run and she knew down to her bones that fighting this lady would be a bad idea to end all the bad ideas she ever had in school.

And freezing up would still end in a burned book.

Burned book?! No!

“Excuse me, sorry ma’am that book is mine. I’ll just be taking it back now, thank you.”

Luz ran. She could feel that strange sense tugging at her mind, making it hard to stay aware of where she was going. Vanilla from the lady she stole her book back from, probably. Freshly cut grass and baked bread from two different directions. Sand on her feet that she knew couldn’t really be there but couldn’t stop to see what was causing that particular sensation. There was a pixie, or fairy, who demanded her skin and tried to bite her. There was a dragon in the distance crushed by a hand. It was only a few steps after seeing her new fantastical, alien surroundings that she tripped, dropping her book beneath her and scraping her arms and legs on the cobblestone.

“You're not going anywhere.”

Well yeah. Of course she's not. Not now anyway. The lady didn't seem so scary by appearance but the vibe was still strong as ever.

Luz is going to get a headache from all of this by the end of the day, isn’t she?

If she isn’t dead by then.

“If you're going to eat me just. Do it now.”

What little she had seen so far was nearing too much for Luz to handle. There were a hundred bells going off in her head telling her to move or hide or wait because the scary lady might take pity on her if she’s still and non-threatening enough. It's hard to concentrate. Hard to think above the instincts triggered by what she’s sensing and from the sensations and sounds and smells themselves.

“Oh dear child, no. I'm not going to do that! Why would I eat a potential customer?”

Huh?

“Can I interest you in a human foot filled with holes?” A bright green croc. “Or how about a bar of green human candy?” A stick of deodorant, “Or! How about a shadow box that reflects only sadness?” A small television, at least what looked like it to Luz as she didn't remember the name off the top of her head. But.

She's calming down. She can focus again. Focus on this.

The elf looking lady frowned when Luz didn't respond right away. Crap. No. Have to do something!

“That's not all it can do.” She comments, her voice sounding faint to her own ears still but that didn't matter too much right now. She spotted some batteries in a small bowl labeled ‘human candy?’ and picked them up, finding the space to place them into the video player and set it down on the table again. She points to the on button.

The lady, who Luz noticed has shiny citrine gemstones as a part of her dress and earrings, pushed the button she indicated and a really old looking workout video began to play. The noise, predictably, drew in attention from the crowds of people and creatures around them making Luz whirl around to the shop owner’s side and hide behind her, pulling the hood of her cat hoodie even more to cover her face.

Maybe in another situation she wouldn't mind the attention. Maybe in another life where she wasn't overwhelmed not even a minute ago Luz would have been more confident and talkative. But right now the latina was not in the mood to have eyes on her. At least she could focus again and had a way to keep herself calm.

The scent of vanilla filled her nose along with cinnamon. Two of her favorites that always had helped her calm down and put her in a better mood. It was already hot out today whenever she was now, but she only felt warm. Warm like being in front of a fireplace and comfortable like she was wrapped in a warm fluffy blanket.

If this was what this lady was like then why did she invoke such a strong reaction from Luz? Both earlier and now, still? If this is what she’s like then why did she still want to run for the hills and not look back?

The feeling of mud all over her. Wet. Dirty. The lurch of her stomach reaching for her heart as she took that first plummet on a roller coaster, feeling momentarily weightless. The scraping of stone against her skin even though this was an open air market and Luz wasn't on the ground anymore. The taste of blood in her mouth and knowing it’s not hers. An owl hooting right by her ear loud enough to make Luz lose her balance in a full body flinch that also, thankfully, pulled her out of the trance she had been in. Even though there was no owl and the lady trying to sell her things was looking concerned now.

Oh, that's why. Wow, this lady was a complicated person.

“What did you say your name was?”

“Oh. I didn’t say my name. But you can call me Luz!” No last name as Luz didn't know how long she would be here, if she would be sent back or if she would stay for a while, “Who are you?” And also because she didn’t know if names held power here and didn’t want to find out the hard way.

“I'm Eda the Owl Lady! Most powerful witch on the boiling isles!”

Witch? Boiling Isles? Is that what this place was called? Is that what people with pointy ears like Eda were? Witches?

“You're a witch?” Luz would not deny the squeal that came from her mouth just then, “You can do magic?!”

“Yeah. Say, didn't I see you have rounded ears? I wasn't hallucinating you being a human, was I?”

“Um. No?” Luz takes note that most of the crowd by now had dispersed but some were still looking their way so she kept her voice low, “Should I keep hiding them, Miss Eda? Is being a human something I shouldn’t let people know?”

“Look, kid. I’m–”

A hand grabbed Eda’s arm before she could reply to that, “Busted!” the person it was attached to was dressed in all dark gray and black with a bird mask covering his face like they were cosplaying as a plague doctor.

“You're under arrest, Eda the Owl Lady for misuse of magic and demonic misdemeanors. You are hereby ordered to come with me to the Conformatorium.”

“Oh would you shove off? I haven't done shit.”

Luz’s eyes went wide, “Witch criminal.”

Another similarly clothed hand grabbed her own arm and Luz yanked her whole body back away from it to no avail.

“You're coming too.”

Ice ran through her veins, “Why?”

“For fraternizing with a criminal.”

Luz turns her head to Eda for help, holding her body in a way she hopes will help her bolt quicker as soon as she gets the chance. These magic plague doctor police people felt like despair and pain and being trapped with no way out. Eda was grumbling about getting something first. Her stuff maybe? Or did she say staff?

Whack!

Before Luz knew it all of the items in the tent, on the table, and the tent and table itself were gone. The two guard people were sporting bruises and Luz and Eda were in the air riding on a magic staff to who even knew where.

“¡¿Lo siento pero a donde vamos?!”

Eda let out a laugh as she made sure Luz wouldn't fall off the magic flying staff.

“Try again. I didn't understand a word of that.”

Oops.

“Lo siento Miss Eda. I'm sorry. I was asking where we are going.”

“My house! Oh, right. Say. You wanna go back home, right?”

“Not really.” The words that came out of her mouth surprised her enough that, when a giant griffin flew up beside them and let loose it's spider breath, the human didn't react with awe and wonder and childish glee at being right like she normally would have.

It apparently shocked Eda as well, “You don't? How come?”

“The only person that likes me back home is my mom, and I’m supposed to have gone to a camp for the summer that would um. Reign me in, I guess. Make it so I change so I have a chance at fitting in better. My mom didn't want to send me away but it was that or, I don't know. I think that was the only option she had.”

Eda was quiet for the rest of the flight.

It was only once they landed outside of a house in the middle of nowhere that Eda spoke again, “Sounds like a human conformatorium to me, kid. Not as bad, I hope, but. Let's get inside.”

“Hooty hoot! Password please!” The owl on the front door that Luz had first assumed was a painting, and then an animated magical painting, was apparently alive? Maybe? In some sense of the word?

Eda just poked him in the eyes, though, “We don’t have time for this. Let us in, Hooty.”

The door opened for them with the Door Owl complaining, “Ow! Fine! Geez! HOOT.”

Luz pauses just inside the doorway to reach up toward Hooty with mild concern in her eyes, “I'm Luz. Are you okay, Mr. Door Owl? Did that hurt?”

The owl face’s expression didn't change, “Aww! I'll be fine. Thank you for asking! You seem like a really nice person, Luz. _Unlike some people_.”

And then Luz was inside. The door was shut. Eda snapped her fingers.

“Welcome. To the Owl House.”

And everything lit up and animated at the sound.

Luz was hit with a wave of _safety_ and all those good things she had sense from Eda earlier. Comfort and warmth and relaxation. She lets the hood of her hoodie fall back from her head with a push.

“This is where I go to hide away from the pressures of modern life. Also the cops. Also ex-boyfriends.”

“Who dares disturb I, The King of Demons?!” Hooty had to have done something to make his voice echo and the ground feel like it shook with each step because the sight Luz was seeing here was one that would not cause either. A small dog-like creature with the top half of a skull on, or a part of, his head. The picture was complete with a towel wrapped around him, held by one paw, and a rubber duck that he promptly squeaked upon entering the living room.

He was absolutely adorable.

“¡Aye que lindo!” Luz couldn’t help but rush over and scoop him up into her arms, “Eda he is so cute~!”

“Hey! Put me down! Who are you anyway? Eda, are we eating her or what?”

Luz put him down as fast, and as gently, as she could. She had to respect boundaries even when what she had done had been instinctive. See something cute? Proceed with one of the following: hug, pet, cuddle. That’s just how it went with Nocedas.

Except her mom would be scolding her right now for not getting permission first. And would be sighing because this wasn’t the first time Luz had tried to pet something dangerous. They still weren’t allowed back at the zoo, though in Luz’s defense the cheetah had been purring away and as docile as a kitten.

At least now she knew she could ask the adorable fluffy creature in question directly. That was good.

“No, King, we aren’t eating her.” Oh right! Right. That had been what King had asked. Was eating other people common around here?

“Then why is she here?”

“She’s here to help us with our little problem. After that, she’s free to go home. If she wants.”

Eda goes on to explain to her what they were setting out to grab. She used magic to illustrate her words and Luz was so captivated by it that she almost missed the point entirely.

She has got to get Eda to show her how to do that after this was over. It would make her videos at least ten times better.

“Crown in the dark cold miserable place. I can get in through the magicked doors with your stuff because I’m not a witch or a demon. Get in. Grab it. Get out. Anything I’m missing, Miss Eda?” Luz asks as Eda rummages around for something. Maybe she should ask for some food? It’s been awhile and Luz didn’t have that big of a breakfast.

“Yeah. Put this on.”

Luz straightens up where she was standing only to stumble back with an ‘oof’ as she gets hit with something. That something, she finds as she pulls it off her head, was a dusky brown cloak. She does as she’s told, and finds it to be a little big on her but not too bad.

“You’re going to need something other than that hoodie of yours to hide your ears and face if things go south. Might as well use this.”

  
  


“Why does Luz need to hide her ears? I know that she’s like the only human around that we know of but it can’t be that bad, right?” King asks just as they land in front of a large fortress of a structure. Perpetually cloudy skies give the area a nighttime feel no matter what time of day it actually was, apparently.

As ominous and scary as it was Luz was still in awe.

“I’m going to go cause a distraction! See you at the top! Byeee!” Eda says instead of giving an answer which, to Luz, was all she needed to know it could be _that bad_. She’s read more fantasy than just Good Witch Azura, it was just her favorite series.

The second Eda was gone and out of sight, Luz immediately felt vulnerable. Never mind that she had her cat hoodie secured over her head and the cloak over everything else she was wearing. Every step inside this place brought with it a chill that ran down her spine. It was like what she had gotten from those guards earlier but so much worse. It was like Mr. Jenkins' home in that she wanted to run and stay as far away from this place as possible. It was also the same in that it was leaving her feeling hollowed out. Not lethargic but like she was missing something she was supposed to have and feeling the emptiness yawn back at her.

“Hey. What are you in for?”

Luz jumped at the hissed whisper to her left. She squinted in the lowlight and found a witch, she thinks, with visible fangs.

“I’m not. I’m just here to grab something and go. What got you in here?”

“You will be soon if you get caught.”

“Why are you here?” Luz repeated as King tugged at her hand.

“I like writing about food falling in love.”

“I eat my own eyeballs.”

“I believe the world is a triangle!”

Two more voices in cells next to the writer’s joined in, catching Luz by surprise. They weren’t in here for any real crime. They were just a little weird. A little out there.

Like her. But without putting people’s lives in danger.

Should have left out those fireworks.

“You don’t belong here–“

“The warden is coming! Hide!”

Luz and King had to hide in the shadows of an empty, unlocked cell, closing the bars shut behind them and not daring to make any sound or sudden movements. He had taken one of the other people in here, who had said they thought the world was a triangle, and it was a tense couple minutes before Luz felt able to get up and move again.

By the time they reached the two large doors where Eda was waiting, Luz wanted nothing more than to be able to get that sense of safety back. No matter how faint. But she couldn’t sense anything. Luz wasn’t paying attention to what the witch was saying when the doors opened and she walked through.

She couldn’t feel a lot of anything right now. Nothing but her own emotions and her own thoughts and realizing she had been relying on her extra sense like most people rely on their hearing or eyesight. It piggybacked off her other senses and gave her information in a way she could begin to process them, even if she didn’t understand what she was sensing or why. Like why Eda had been terrifying until Luz caught wind of the bits of information that made her feel like she was home. Because after that Eda felt terrifying in the way that her mother being angry at someone or something else was. Scary, but also giving her an urge to make popcorn and watch.

It felt in this place like having a blindfold on in a room she’d never seen the inside of before. Like she was too tired to care about things with a lot of energy, but without feeling sleepy.

King’s crown was a Burger Queen paper crown? Sure. Fine. King was happy about it at least. Finally got what he was after.

“That crown doesn’t actually give him anything.” She stated the obvious just to have something to say, though her voice rang with that same hollowness that radiated from her chest to the rest of her body. She hoped Eda didn’t notice.

“Yeah. Oh, look at us, Luz. King and I don’t have much in this world. We don’t have anyone but each other. So if that dumb crown is important to him, then it’s important to me.” And that brings to mind Luz’s mom and how she would watch anime she doesn’t understand with her just to spend time with her. “Us weirdos have to stick together.”

“Right. Can we go now? I really don’t like it here– AHH!”

Oh no. Oh no, no, no. That’s a lot of blood. That’s Eda’s head she’s holding in her hands.

“Ow!”

“AAH!”

  
  


Two hours later, Luz comes back to herself wrapped up in blankets on the couch in the Owl House. She was holding a steaming cup of some drink that smelled like apples. The lights from the magic candles around the room were the only lights on in the room aside from the crackling fireplace on the other side.

Everything had gone well, all things considered. They caused a minor prison break with a few of the prisoners Luz had met in order to escape. Eda’s head reattached just fine like nothing happened. The latina was all cleaned up thanks to a little magic from the witch as well so there was one less thing to worry over come morning.

Luz could go home now, if she wanted. The door was right there, slightly ajar and glowing. She didn’t know where Eda had gone, but it was somewhere in the house still. King was curled up on the couch next to her fast asleep. No one would be able to stop her if she got up and left.

“You back with us?”

Luz lifted her head to see Eda entering the living room. She nodded her head. The flight back to the Owl House had thankfully been uneventful, but going from a place where hopelessness radiated from the walls and every guard and prisoner there fueled it, to outside where that influence faded and Eda and King were the only ones around to affect her?

Luz was grateful for it but it left her drained. She would also need to re-evaluate just what her extra sense was picking up because it wasn’t just a warning system for danger. Not anymore at least.

“Yeah. Thank you.”

Eda came over to the couch, sitting at her other side and Luz quickly found renewed interest in the drink she was holding.

“Still haven’t changed your mind?”

Luz gave a nod of her head before shrugging her shoulders by way of a reply.

“Then I didn’t get a spare room ready for nothing. Up the stairs, second door on the right.”

“What?” Luz hadn’t expected that, “I– I thought that I–”

She clicked her mouth shut upon seeing Eda’s expression and body language. Not in any mood for a discussion and Luz did not want to be kicked out for being annoying.

“Thank you, Miss Eda.”

Eda had already closed the portal door and was halfway up the stairs by the time she replied, “We’ll talk in the morning.”


	2. Counting Black Sheep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz’s first official day, and night, of witch apprenticeship does not go as planned. She would like it on the record that it is Not her fault.

Eda had pulled out a mattress from somewhere and had piled blankets and pillows on it, so part of that time was getting everything arranged so she was comfortable. The room was cold so the blankets were greatly appreciated and seeing as all Luz had with her was what was in her backpack, the rest of the setup in here was a shock. A low coffee table in one of the other corners with a blanket and pillow to sit on and bookshelves.

How did Eda have so many books to put in here? Why has she put them in here in the first place?

Was Eda– How long was she expecting Luz to–?

It took awhile for Luz to fall asleep.

Once she did though, it didn’t take long for her to dream.

She dreamt of walking out of the house and through the woods. Walked downhill to the town where only a few were out and about at this hour. Those that were just moved around her without noticing anything was amiss, if they came close. Just like her dreams usually went. Well. With the exception that she seemed to be more physical this time, able to actually interact with things here that she couldn’t before.

Luz awoke the next morning just as the sunlight filtered in through the window, shivering even under the blankets and cursing her fading dreams for not being normal even now.

The latina bit back a yawn as she pulled herself up off the surprisingly very comfy, very soft mattress. She started to go through her usual morning routine of stretches and hygiene only to be met with the bathroom. That is, a half modern half medieval looking space. There was running water into a large, round wooden tub with a bucket beside it, a sink and cabinet with a drain but no faucet, and a toilet that probably worked as normal with the only notable difference being a chain to pull in order to flush it.

Everything here looked handmade, if Luz had to put a word to it. It all looked like one big DIY.

Did Eda make all of this? Where was the water coming from? They were out in the middle of nowhere on a hill so there must be something like a river nearby, right?

“Morning, Luz!”

“AHH!” Luz turned on her heel, now fully awake, with the intent to slap whatever startled her only to see Hooty right there behind her. The face of the bird she’d seen yesterday was here and not on the front door because of a tube like neck that extended out the bathroom window and out of sight.

“Dios mio, Hooty. Please don’t scare me like that. Good morning to you too, though. Do you know how to heat up the water?” Luz gestures to the now half full tub before going to turn the faucet off.

Apparently other than through magic, there wasn’t a way to heat up the water herself. She would have to wait til later in the day for the water to heat up naturally or ask Eda for a heating spell if she wanted warm or hot water.

Eventually she got her hygiene taken care of. Teeth brushed. Hair and face washed. The water remaining poured out into the sink. Clothes changed into the ones she had worn yesterday. They would need a wash too, but she could probably put it off for later today.

Reentering what she was hesitant to call “her” room, Luz found King just now waking up. She was quick to place a kiss on the skull of the tiny demon.

“Morning, you little cutie pie.”

King growled, stretching and shaking life into his limbs, “I’m not your cutie pie.”

“You are, pequeño rey demonio.”

“I know.”

He followed her down the stairs and into the kitchen where, once again, Luz was caught by surprise at seeing how it was all arranged. Here it was more obvious, the mix between modern and not. Shelves holding all sorts of labeled bottles and plants, cabinets and counters that all looked like they could fit right into a kitchen from Earth. The aesthetic of it all was right up her alley too. Metal pots and pans and utensils paired with a wood fire stove.

It was beautiful.

Luz opened up the fridge, trying and failing to not stop every few seconds to just bask in the atmosphere, and pulled out the drink that had smelled like apples and tasted like apples, blood, and some mixture of spices that was actually pretty amazing. Even if it did have blood in it. It wasn’t an aversion to the taste of blood itself. Luz had the taste of it in her mouth enough times both from her extra sense and from picking too much at her lip that it didn’t bother her much. It was more a psychological thing at this point, going from that to actually drinking something with the stuff.

Two cups of that for her and Eda and one of milk for King at his command and it was onto finding something to eat.

“What’s going on?” Eda’s voice traveled from somewhere upstairs before Luz could puzzle out what was close enough to Earth food that wouldn’t make her sick. Or die.

“Good morning, Miss Eda.” She gives a cheerful call back, taking one of the cups of ‘Apple Blood’ and giving it over to the woman as she reached the foot of the stairs.

“Who are you again?” The witch grumbles as she downed half the cup in one go.

“Luz, ma’am. You, let me stay for the night. Do you need anything else?” Eda shook her head, muttering something under her breath.

“No, kid. Thanks for the apple blood.”

“I demand sugar, human!”

Luz let out a breathy laugh before shooting back, “Well then give me a minute so I can find something that won’t try and kill me first, el frambueso!”

“If you’re going to call me things in that infernal tongue at least tell me what they mean!”

Eda let out a long suffering groan as Luz went searching for something to have for breakfast, “Why did I let her stay again? Right. She reminds me of me. Ugh.”

“Aren’t you going to put milk in it?”

“I can’t, King. I’m lactose intolerant.”

“Well it’s not from one of your Earth animals so maybe it’ll be fine? You’re having cereal. How can you have cereal with no milk?”

“Easily. And I don’t want to take any chances right now. For all I know demon milk will just make me feel worse.”

“Alright.” Eda steps into the kitchen after finishing off the last of her apple blood, effectively ending that brewing argument, “If you’re thinking of staying here because you’ll get to learn magic then you’re going to have to work for it.” She pulls a rolled up piece of paper from her hair and spreads it out in front of Luz on the table, “As a human you lack magic bile sack, see? Biologically impossible for you to cast spells. But,” She adds quickly seeing the heartbroken expression on Luz’s face, “The first witches didn’t have them either. So whatever way they found is what you will have to find as well.”

“Woah. Wait. Is that what all those books are for?” Eda gave her a wink.

“Got it in one, kid. I don’t know how much they’ll help you but it’s got to be better than nothing. Now. I’ve got some potion deliveries that need to get done today and you, sunshine, are going to be the one delivering them for me. Think you’re up to it?”

“Is it down in that town we were in yesterday? Where you were selling all that human stuff? Yeah, I can do that.” Luz said between bites of cereal, swinging her legs as she thought out loud, “I get to see what your potions look like. And learn what they all do. And, oh! Will I have to ask for like, however much they’re worth? For payment? I’m probably going to need a list anyway, and that cloak, cowl thing you lent me.”

Eda was already regretting this.

“Yes. Yes you’ll have a list. The potions should be clearly labeled so you won’t have to worry about giving out the wrong ones. The price will be there too, just let me know if anyone tries to cheat you or eat you. King?”

“Weh?”

“You’re going with her. I’ve got a backlog of orders that need to get done today without any distractions and I don’t want the human to get lost or eaten on her first day.”

King didn’t look happy about it but agreed to it.

Before the witch sent her new apprentice on her way out the door she stopped the now very excited human from bouncing around for a second, “You need to be careful. I’ve got rivals everywhere and if anyone finds out you’re a human they’re going to want something from you whether you give it freely or not. I also don’t care,” She stresses, “If you finish by then, I want you both back here in one piece by sunset. Got it?”

“Got it, Miss Eda. I won’t let you down.”

And before she knew it the kid was out the door, saying a hurried goodbye to Hooty on her way and bickering with King over what she had called him during breakfast. Something about an Earth berry.

“That’s not what I’m worried about.” She states to a now empty house.

  
  


Eda hadn’t been lying about the backlog, but that wasn’t as pressing as what she was actually working on.

Luz had been affected badly by something yesterday at the Conformatorium and Eda was scratching her head over what it was. It was like the life and fight had just drained out of her and they had only been in there for fifteen minutes before fighting the warden.

She knew that place was magically charged in such a way that it _discouraged_ others from escape and from using their magic. With Luz being a human Eda had assumed she would be fine. No magic to use and thus no reason for the spells throughout the building to work on her.

But something _had_.

The grey haired witch let out a hiss as she slammed another old grimoire closed. She’s got three cauldrons and timers going right now and in the midst of it all was looking for the answer to this question.

And failing to find one.

There isn’t a lot to be found on humans in the Boiling Isles. Most popular opinions and texts have falsified information or exaggerated ones just from what she’s seen of Luz so far. No gills. Not dumb in the slightest.

Not affected by spells targeting magic.

“Maybe it’s the emotions? The spells do give off a ‘doom and gloom’ vibe as part of how they work. Maybe she was picking up on that– but even then it wouldn’t, shouldn’t, completely override her emotional state!”

The look in Luz’s eyes had haunted her well into her nightmares.

No one living should look so dead.

“Fuck it. I’m not giving her back unless she’s going back to her mom and not that camp thing. If that human conformatorium is anything close to what ours is, magic or not, she wouldn’t last a week.”

Eda finished the three batches of potions on autopilot. Excellent quality as always. As the owl witch starts on labeling them she glances at the clock. Noon already.

“Damn. Hope the kid remembers to grab something to eat while she’s out. Need to stress that for next time.”

What now, though? She’s exhausted what she has on figuring out the cause, but maybe she could still work on something to help with the symptoms? If it were up to Eda they would never be going back to the Conformatorium for anything, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t ever find themselves in other magically charged areas.

The Knee, for one. And even just in town there were shops and stalls that were saturated with magic, emotion manipulating or otherwise. Luz had seemed overwhelmed at one point in the market but that could have been for any number of other reasons, too. New environment. Lots of things going on around her.

Just her luck that she got attached _so quickly_ to a human. A _child_. How old even was she? 13? She couldn’t be older than Eda had been when she’d been cursed, surely.

_“Can we go now? I really don’t like it here–”_

“I have an idea.” Eda would need to go out and grab a few things for it but she should be back before Luz and King, “I just hope it works.”

Maybe then she will know why it hurt so much to hear those words.

  
  
  


Luz and King got back right as the sun was starting to set, Luz pale in the face and King wrapped around Luz like a scarf clinging to her as if his life depended on it. Luz sniffed as she curled up on the couch with the bone demon, her breaths even and measured in a way that Eda knew meant she was trying not to cry.

“Okay, who do I have to kill?”

“No one!” Luz was quick to deny it. Quick enough that Eda didn’t believe her.

“Oh really?”

“I mean,” There’s the backpedaling. And now the kid is hiding in her cat hoodie.

“I mean there was someone? There was this wizard client of yours? He was creepy. But you don’t have to kill him!”

“He tried to get Luz to believe there was a lake with a “celestial staff” and that it was “her destiny” to use it to defeat some ancient evil.”

“Pfft. Yeah, no. Never trust an old guy in casual drapery, kiddo.”

“I know. I don’t. He smelled bad and everything there felt sticky.”

Interesting way to describe it but Eda would take what she could get.

“You gonna be okay? You sure I don’t need to go down there and introduce that guy to some fire magic?”

“I’m sure, Miss Eda.”

“Good, because I didn’t want to have to miss out on dinner. C’mon, before it gets cold. You did remember to eat lunch while you were out, right?”

Later that night Eda found she couldn’t sleep. This wasn’t unusual as the owl beast in her was naturally nocturnal and so she couldn’t claim to have any sort of sleep schedule. When nights like these come up, the witch took to wandering the house. Sometimes she would check up on King, only to find that he was sleeping soundly and perfectly fine. This night, thankfully, the two she would check on had taken to sleeping in the same room.

Maybe she should move some of King’s things into Luz’s room if it continued to be a trend. And if Luz agreed to it.

Opening the door a crack the owl lady expected to see a sleeping, softly snoring human and a demon curled up at the end of the mattress. What she found was a sleeping demon and an empty bed.

Oh. Oh no.

Eda glanced around the rest of the room just in case Luz had fallen asleep in a different spot than usual, and then a dark and silent bathroom across the hall, and then the living room.

Luz was gone. It was the middle of the night. She didn’t take her cloak.

“Hooty? Where’d she go?”

“She went into the forest. Towards Bonesborough.” Hooty didn’t even try to make a quip about a riddle or password this time, “Looked pretty out of it, Hoot! Eyes closed and everything!”

“She was sleepwalking?!” Oh fuck. This was bad.

Eda summoned her staff and took off into the night without another thought.

“I don’t know what she’s worried about. Hoot. Happened last night and Luz came back fine.”

  
  
  


“Titan’s tiny lighthouse, you couldn’t have gone one day without getting into trouble, could you?”

Eda thought out loud as she walked up to the now decrepit castle structure to keep the silence at bay.

“I don’t like this.”

She pushed on the front door, only to find it creaked one an ear gratingly high pitch sound, swinging on rusty hinges before something snapped. The door fell to the ground with a hollow, echoing thud.

“I really don’t like this.”

Eda continues on, growing more and more frustrated with every step and second that passed. Finding a cat on the path only meant she was going the right way.

“You. What have you done with Luz?”

The lifeless eyes stared back up at her as the mouth opened and spoke, “To find your pupil and still your wrath, look ahead and follow the pa–”

At least she got to set something on fire.

“I hate riddles.”

The tracking spell she had around her right thumb glowed a little brighter so she must be going the right way. A hoarse cackle just ahead spurred the witch further, dismissing the tracking spell and shooting forward.

“ADEGAST!”

She was going to make him regret targeting her apprentice.

  
  
  


“Luz.”

Adegast was gone. Eda hadn’t set him on fire like she thought she was going to do but she did get to eat him. So that was just as good. What wasn’t good was her apprentice waking up halfway through the fight, trying to help even though she literally had just woken up, and was spilling unnecessary apologies crying into Eda’s dress as they flew back home.

“Luz, it’s alright. He’s gone. You’re safe.” Ugh. She didn’t do affection very well. Or crying kids.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. Thought you were sleeping the whole time, right?” A nod, “And you were. We just. Need to make sure you don’t leave the house next time if this is going to become a regular thing.”

“It wasn’t like this before. Mami never mentioned anything like that with me. I would. I would always dream of here. The Boiling Isles. So maybe I. I don’t know, Eda. I don’t know what’s going on.”

Neither did Eda, but she wasn’t going to let the kid know that. She waited til the crying slowed to a stop before casting a lightweight sleep spell. More to give drowsiness than force sleep in an instant.

“We’ll figure it out, kiddo. Try to get a little more sleep though, kay? I’ll make sure you don’t fall or wander off anywhere.”

“Okay. Trust you.” And then the kid was snoring away like she hadn’t just blown Eda’s mind with those two words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The pacing toward the end of this one didn’t feel right no matter how I wrote it. Fight scenes are, apparently, not my thing at the moment so maybe that’s why.


	3. Supernatural Sensitivity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz rambles, finds out what she's been sensing this whole time, and tries to make a friend.

Morning came without any further incident and, as loath as Luz was to wake up with the sun it was something she’d been doing for years. Morning found the human shuffling around yawning as she went through her usual routine.

“Please tell me there’s something here to help me wake up.” Tea was her go to but she wouldn’t turn down coffee. Does the Boiling Isles even have coffee?

A question for more awake Luz.

“You didn’t wake me up, Luz.” King scampered in a few minutes later after Luz gave up her search and settled for water and leftovers from dinner last night. She made sure to have some apple blood set out for Eda too, whenever she came downstairs.

“Sorry,” Luz fought down another yawn, “I’m just. Really tired still.”

“That’s okay I guess. Oh yeah! You smell like lemons by the way.”

“Hm?”

“You were saying I smell like some human berry called a raspberry. So I’m telling you that you smell like lemons. To me that is. Not that I’m going to call you that because it’s dumb.”

Well that gives her an idea.

“I need to make a reminder to try and make some lemonade at some point then. Mm. Morning Eda.”

“Morning brat 1, brat 2.” Eda greeted without any indication on who was who, “We’re going down to the beach for a trash slug today. So grab a hat, Luz, and make sure you’re dressed for the heat.”

“Aye aye cap’n.”

“I’m brat 1 because I was here first.”

  
  


“Luz I said dress for the heat! Why do you have your hoodie on?” Luz gives a sheepish sort of grin at that. At least she was wearing shorts.

Which were also the clothes she’s been wearing for a few days now as of this morning.

“I don’t have a hat.”

Eda pinched the bridge of her nose as they approached the most foul smelling thing that Luz has ever witnessed. She doesn’t think it’s from the smell, strangely enough. Luz, however, wished she had brought something to plug her own nose. Either her other sense was amplifying what was already painfully being made known to her nose or it really was just _that bad_ but Luz did not want to be here for longer than necessary.

“Well that’s something we can make time for tomorrow. For now though.” Eda has the audacity to take in a huge breath and not somehow gag, “Have you ever seen anything as breathtaking as this?”

“No, actually. I haven’t seen anything that smells that awful.”

“Aw, kid.”

“Please don’t make me sift through all that.” Luz is certain that if she has to she will be sick and no one wants that, “I will do literally anything else.”

She doesn’t miss the serious, contemplative look that Eda shoots her way before the _call of trash_ was too much and the witch was picking through dirt, pieces of broken furniture, and even had casually tossed aside a mini fridge at one point.

“If you’re not going to help me find human treasures will you tell me what’s up with you?” Eda asks finally after a minute.

“What do you mean what’s up with me?”

“Well. It’s not that you’re– the conformatorium messed you up, kid. The spells there aren’t supposed to work on humans. So I was wondering if you could tell me what was going on there.”

Luz felt her heart drop into her stomach. It wasn’t that anything was wrong with her, Eda had made it clear that Luz being weird or different was okay in her book. But it was also that something was wrong with her because she had been affected by things that weren’t supposed to.

She knew logically that she couldn’t just hide her Sense from Eda. Not longer term and certainly not without consequences. But Luz had thought she would have more time. More time to get used to being surrounded by it even when it’s relatively quiet out here. More time to come up with a way to explain it without turning into a rambling mess.

She would just have to trust Eda, and King, with this like she was with her newly developed sleepwalking issue.

“I. I can do that, I think. But I don’t know if it will make any sense. I can’t just tell you it’s this or that because I don’t know if it even has a name. I have to, to describe what I get from it instead.”

Eda tossed another piece of junk into an arbitrary pile that Luz couldn’t tell if it was a ‘keep’ pile or a ‘totally useless’ pile before waving Luz to continue on.

“King smells like raspberries and that firewood taste you get from grilling food if you do it that way. Adegast smelled, or maybe tasted? He was like some mix of sour and sweet and bitter. Like fruit but if it had gone bad a long time ago. And felt sticky too, like when honey gets on your fingers and you don’t have anything to wash it off. The conformatorium felt like being blindfolded and pushed into a room where there’s no way out and you don’t know where anything or anyone is. You’re alone, you’re trapped, and you’re hollowed out until you’re just an empty shell of who you were when you entered. I thought it was just a warning for danger, though. I got a similarly bad feeling whenever I got too close to Mr. Jenkins’ house, in the human realm. Like there was something waiting there, watching me. I didn’t get feelings like that often though, not until I wandered through the portal and was– I was bombarded with a lot of those at once and they didn’t always have a “don’t mess with me” vibe I got from you at first. Because I got that too but I don’t think it’s like everything else. It seems like that’s like, trying to tell me that someone is powerful or dangerous which is why I thought my extra sense was one for danger, y’know? But I don’t get that too much anymore, not by itself anyway, so it’s hard to tell. A lot of the time it’s smells, or feelings like textures, or tastes. It’s not often something like a sound that I’ve noticed and even though I can put pictures to it all in my head I’ve never gotten an actual visual thing from anything or anyone before.”

Luz doesn’t know how Eda and King are reacting to all of this but the sounds of Eda rummaging through the trash slug’s guts have stopped and she hasn’t heard King’s voice in her head, so the girl pushes onward.

“You have a lot going on though. Vanilla and cinnamon and warmth from a fireplace and that soft texture like from those blankets in my room. It makes me feel like I’m home. Like I’m safe. But also.” Luz pushes through the embarrassment of admitting that and ignores the fact that she’s rocking lightly where she’s sitting in the sand, tapping on her knee, “Also the feeling of mud, wet and dirty and mixing with blood that’s also a taste in my mouth. Flying through the air only to fall and feel like my stomach is trying to reach my heart, getting trapped underground with the walls pressing in on me with no room to move and barely any room to breathe. The– The feeling of being ripped apart by talons, by birds, and hearing an owl hooting loudly right next to my ear.

“I call it my extra sense. But I don’t know anymore what it is I’m sensing.” The human pulls herself into a ball and hugs her legs.

It felt like a while before Eda spoke up again. Luz wasn’t sure if the witch knew her voice cracked.

“You got all that from me?” Luz had wanted to say more about it. That sometimes the owl cries changed between species. Between hoots and screeches and coos. She wanted to say that most of the time it was background noise and didn’t bother her at all but it has only been a few days. She wanted to say that there were moments where that entire second part didn’t feel scary or dangerous but instead protective, or sad, or in pain.

“Yeah. I don’t often sense more than the smells. Your house is filled with it, and– woah!”

Eda takes her by the arms and lifts until she’s standing, “C’mon up you get. No more teenage angst today. You’ve met your quota. I also have a pretty good idea on what it is your picking up, now.”

Really? Luz almost couldn’t believe it. Just from her rambling about it Eda was able to tell what all this was? Well, she did say it was an idea, but even with her choice of words she’d seemed confident about it.

“What? What is it?”

“You’re sensing magic, sunshine. Congratulations! Even with being unable to perform magic like a witch you’ve got something I haven’t heard of any witch being able to do. Even those that can sense others' magic, like me, have to cast a spell to do it and yet here you are!” The wild witch’s eyes were as bright and wild as she was as she laughed, “Figure out a way to cast spells, kid, and you’ll be unstoppable.”

Then why was Eda’s magic all over the place where everyone else was one, or two, or three things at most? Was it because she was _that_ powerful? Did it need all of that to describe it because there was so much?

“How long have you been doing this? Going through trash slugs for things to sell? Having Owlbert go out once a week through the portal for stuff you don’t find here?” Luz asks a few minutes later. It was the first thing that came to mind as a change in topic and Luz didn’t know if she should regret it but Eda didn’t look annoyed or mad at the indirect ask for her age. Or at least an estimate for an age range.

Eda had found quite a few things that Luz hadn’t even known were there and had either found them in surprisingly good condition for having been in a trash slug’s stomach, or was able to fix them up with a spell or two. The human did give out some information on what she knew. Like how that lava lamp worked and what electricity actually was.

Tamed lightning was the term that Eda had adopted for it and Luz couldn’t really argue with that. It wasn’t wrong and it was kind of fun to see what the witch would come up with for these things.

The hair dryer, if they could get it to work on magic instead of electricity, would be amazing to have. Or maybe Luz could introduce her to some of the ways to make electricity, but that would have to be something left for another day.

“Eh. About 30 years now? Give or take. Didn’t finish school or join a coven so I had to find my own way. And I’d like to say I’m doing pretty well.”

So forties to fifties. Somewhere around there? Huh. For some reason Luz had thought she’d be older.

Must be the grey hair.

And apparently not joining a coven was a crime here. Which would explain some of why Eda was wanted and had a bounty on her head.

And it would explain the grey hair. Or some of it, at least. Living like this couldn’t be easy even if Eda was happy now.

“School? As in magic school? Is that where you learned your magic? Did you use wands to practice spells or! Or! Is that how you got your staff?”

“Mhm. Made my staff, and Owlbert, after I dropped out though. And wands are limited in how much they can actually help you before they become a crutch. But it’s not all that great anyway, kid. They force you into studying only one kind of magic, like potions for me. Apparently it’s the “proper” way but magic isn’t like that! There is no “proper” way to use magic, you just _use_ it! It’s wild and unpredictable and beautiful and what they do is tell you that there is a path and you have to follow it or you’re automatically going against the law. Sucks all the life and fun out of it!”

Was there so much to her magic because she wasn’t limited anymore? But then why would it hurt?

Eda had gone back to picking apart the piles of junk mid rant, and had found a table that was mostly intact. There were scratch marks and stains and a piece of one leg was gone, but a few spells later Luz could hardly tell it’d been damaged at all. It had a nice moon motif to it too. Maybe Luz could ask if they could keep it.

“Like what the conformatorium did to me.”

“Yeah. Like what it _tried_ to do to you. But it didn’t stick and I won’t let them fill your head with the whole one-witch, one-coven nonsense. You deserve to learn at your own pace and learn whatever you want.”

“Aww. Eda!”

“Here.”

Before Luz could protest, something round and covered in slime was shoved into her hands.

“Ew! I take it back! What the hell is this?”

“Hey! Don’t make me have to start telling you to watch your fucking language, sunshine. It’s some sort of slime ball.” No duh, “You head on back up to the house while I finish up here. If you can figure out what that is by the time I get back with all the loot, I’ll show you a spell today that you can pick apart.”

Luz couldn’t believe she was being bribed like this. No. Wait. She could definitely believe it. At least she could go back to the house now.

“You drive a hard bargain, boss lady. I accept.”

  
  


“You’re not going to make me go with her?” King asks from where he’s been lounging around the entire morning.

“Not if you don’t want to, this time.” Was her response back as she looked over her haul and what was left of the trash slug’s corpse.

“She was really tired this morning. What if she falls asleep and goes sleepwalking into another demon’s lair?”

“King. She’ll be fine. Hooty knows not to let her go past the tree line if she’s sleepwalking.”

  
  


Luz was not sleepwalking. In fact she was feeling pretty wide awake now, considering she had just met a witch and was helping her to not completely fail her abomination assignment. All she had to do was pretend to be Willow’s abomination for an hour or so, and then continue to hide in the cauldron until it was safe to exit stage left. Hopefully not pursued by a bear.

She hadn’t spoken during class, didn’t do anything she thought would be unusual for an abomination because just performing the necessary commands had taken a lot of focus and willpower. It’d gotten Willow a great grade, but one of her classmates, Amity, was mad for some reason.

Probably because they had cheated.

Now that Luz knew what it was she was sensing it was like she was fine-tuned to it. Hexside was a bigger school than she’d thought and, being a magic school, the place was saturated in it. Gus, Willow’s friend, had been very understanding of the headache that Luz was now trying and failing to ignore. She knew he’d be peppering her with questions about the human world because ‘Luz and her mentor worked with and around stuff from there that finds its way to the Isles’, if she had been feeling better.

Willow was like lavender and petrichor. Gus was like citrus and scented pinecones. One calming and the other bright and cheery. Willow’s magic she knew from having spent time with her before entering the school. Luz only knew what Gus’s magic was like because of how close he was. She knew if and when either of them weren’t around these magic sensations would fade into the unholy mixture here.

It didn’t stop her from being curious and wanting to learn all she could. Even with what Eda was saying echoing in the back of her mind that she would have to pick a type of magic and stick to it. It didn’t stop her from daydreaming what it could be like to not be burdened by her magic sense and be able to freely learn from everything they offered here.

Between this school where she might have actually made friends, and her mentor who didn’t care about magic rules unless it was for the safety, or continued life, of all involved surely Luz would be able to find out how she could cast spells of her own. It couldn’t be through a staff and wands were limited. Either in how much they could cast or what they could, the human didn’t exactly know that yet. But since both of those magic channeling devices were out and Luz didn’t have that magic organ attached to her heart, there had to be something else.

“Luz!”

“Whazzit? Willow?” The lighting entering the cauldron had changed. There’s warmth to it so they had to be outside now, right?

The latina poked her head up just enough so she could see over the top at a Willow who relaxed upon seeing her.

“We’re outside now. You can leave if you want. I’ll just tell my teacher that my abomination didn’t hold.”

Ah.

Time to get back to the Owl House. With a book that surprisingly had no goop on it from being at the bottom of this thing Luz had been lying in for hours. A book she had been looking through from the collection Eda had given her to find what the seed was, only to find that half of it was in a written runic script she couldn't make sense of. She had brought it out with her thinking of going to the library for a dictionary or something to help translate when she'd met Willow. But, as can clearly be seen by now, Luz had gotten sidetracked.

She hopped out with a little difficulty, grinning despite how it was going to be hard to get this stuff off of her when she got back to the house.

“Hey. Before I go.” She pulls the book out a moment later and takes the seed out of her pocket, “Can you tell me what this seed is supposed to grow into? I’ve been looking it up in this book and found it but I. Um.” Luz’s voice dropped to a whisper, “It’s half written in runes and I can’t. Exactly. Read them. Oh! Here you go. You can have the seed if you want. Maybe show off those plant skills of yours and see if they won’t put you there after that.”

She handed the seed over to Willow and was going to open the book for her before Willow grabbed her attention.

“Luz, don’t!”

The witch girl was white as a sheet.

“Don’t.” She repeated, “That. The seed isn’t rare or anything but it. I mean it's great, and I'll, I’ll think about it but. Luz where did you get that _book_?”

Uh oh. Oh no. Luz you did it again. You messed up somehow. Abort mission. Little witch girl won't want to be friends after whatever it is you did so just go now and forever hold your tears.

“I don’t know. It was given to me. I don’t. What’s wrong, Willow?”

“You need to hide that thing, Luz. I don’t know or care where. See this?” She points to a small circular label on the back cover and the lack of an author or pen name anywhere, “It’s a banned book, Luz.”

“Mierda, tienes razón. Gracias, Willow. Iré ahora!”

So much for thinking she could make friends. Not when she knows that, surprise surprise, the human has a banned, possibly cursed book in her possession.

Things like this always happen.

Why would being in a different world make it any different?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This episode, man.  
> This episode was HARD to write for/around.  
> I did get everything in there that's supposed to happen though. Thank God.
> 
> Featuring: Edalyn "I know exactly what it is you sense from me and I don't know how to feel about it" Clawthorne.
> 
> If ever there's improvement to be made with my use of Spanish pls Lemme know.


	4. Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obligatory shopping trip. Short chapter. Basically just Eda talking to someone with Luz being precious in the background.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://discord.gg/xF8xG25
> 
> If any of you are inclined, feel free to come yell at me about fic related things. Or ask questions. Or whatever else. Go wild.

“Luz?”

Eda had voluntarily gotten up early this morning, earlier than Luz apparently. She had waited for her apprentice to wake up, sipping at her apple blood and making sure both King and Hooty were fed before the concern set in. Sunlight was just gracing the horizon when the witch decided to go see what Luz was up to. Maybe she had forgotten about the morning trip to the market to get her some new clothes. Maybe she was still distraught from yesterday.

Eda could only blame herself for that. She wasn't used to being responsible. Kept forgetting that Luz wasn't from here even with her being human. She hadn't told the girl about how a lot of the books she owns are banned. Some of them were solely because the material within combined magic liberally. Others spoke of things like necromancy, the combination of oracle and healing magic, and blood magic where both could easily backfire on you even if you think you got everything right. Some were marked with circular symbols from back when there had been a mass order for several books like those to be burned.

One didn't have to guess that there had been witches who stole some away. Obviously, Eda had gotten her claws on quite a few of the surviving ones over the years.

Eda had neglected to explain that to Luz when she'd first set up and stocked the bookshelves and it had come back to bite her apprentice in the form of a potentially failed friendship.

Potentially, because Eda only had Luz’s interpretation of what happened and while she didn't think Luz was wrong, there is the other kids’ point of view to factor in. Not even showing her and letting her record a light spell improved her mood much.

Even if she did comment that the spell tasted like buttery toast that had already cooled down before you ate it.

Eda knocked on her door again.

“Luz? Sunshine? Time to get up. It's supposed to rain later and I want to get your shopping done before then.”

“I’m up!”

By staff, the trip down into Bonesborough didn't take more than a few minutes. There weren't many witches or demons out this early so Eda wanted to beat most of the people traffic. 

The first store they went into, Buy the Way, had a good selection to choose from. It was a smaller, out of the way clothing store she herself frequented so she knew the to who worked and owned the place won't rat her and her apprentice out. It was also a good place to find clothes that didn't quite fit the norm.

It also had the benefit of being small enough that the only way Eda would lose track of her human would be by said human leaving the store altogether.

“Eda! Haven't seen you in a while. What brings you by?”

Which was great because Luz immediately wandered off to a section with hats and beanies as soon as they stepped inside.

One of the two who ran the store, Ash, had been in her year at school, though in the Oracle track rather than Potions. The witch was the only one working today, though.

“I'm here to grab some new clothes for my apprentice.” She pointed to Luz who was waving at her, grinning as she slipped on an owl beanie, “Kid only has like. Two outfits right now. Luz! You know we aren't here to just grab you a hat. Go find other stuff you like.”

“I can get the owl hat though?”

“Yeah, yeah. Grab a second one too while you're at it. And if you grab only owl themed stuff I will be both flattered and disappointed in your lack of self expression!”

She turned back around to see Ash leaning on the counter with a conspiratory grin, “Zip it.”

“She’s not just your apprentice."

“I said zip it. Who she is outside of being my apprentice isn't something _nosy_ people need to know about.”

“I never thought I'd see the day where Edalyn Clawthorne, most infamous witch on the Boiling Isles–”

“Ash–”

“Has a child! Oh don't give me that, I won't advertise it, you know me.”

There was no use in arguing with the one witch who would counter all her arguments with creepy oracle magic. Eda didn't care about that.

“Hi!” Eda would deny the bird-like sound that came out of her in surprise, “Can I put the stuff I find over here?” Luz is staring at Ash with wide eyes.

“You are checking whether they fit, right?”

Luz rolls her eyes, “Yes. I am. And making sure they're comfy too. Don't worry.”

The second Ash says it's fine, Luz is off again and Eda takes a moment to follow where she goes. The human is practically bouncing from one thing that catches her eye to another. How does she have so much energy today? Is it the amount of sleep she got? Is she just in better spirits today?

It's good to see her happy, all things considered. Titan knows she needs a day like this without something trying to crush her.

“She’s not mine.”

“By blood, maybe.”

“Or adoption ritual.” Ash raises an eyebrow and yeah, Eda couldn't fault that. It would be hard for her, at best, to find a way to get that little ritual performed without the Emperor's Coven nipping at their heels. And illegally, well. Just because she had more options available to her than most didn't mean they were all good or all worth taking.

“I'm talking magic, Eda. Not blood. Not a ritual. She is yours by magic. I thought you were a powerful witch, Owl Lady. You really can't tell?”

“And here comes the cryptic bullshit.”

“It's really not.”

“She’s not bound by some Titan forsaken– Ash, that sort of shit only happens to those fancy ass pure-blood elitists or characters in poorly written romance novels whose authors have no clue or care about what actually happens.”

“You're one too.”

“Not an elitist and how dare you insinuate I'm living a romance novel. Have you _met_ me?” Ash’s expression didn't lighten up. Okay. Joking didn't work, then. The oracle witch is actually being serious.

“You are still a pure-blood witch, Eda, no matter how much you separate yourself from the rest of them."

They had to pause again as Luz came up to the counter with another outfit she picked out. This time with some gemstone accessories. Amber ones that had Ash practically cooing because look, Eda, this one matches your citrine. Oh Titan, she's precious. Eda, where did you find her?

Honestly, if Ash keeps this up Eda is going to be physically ill.

“How many can I get?”

“Two more outfits at least. Whatever is enough to last you a week, kid.”

That apparently was the right thing to say. Good. At least one of them liked shopping. Until the, ha, magic of all the witch stuff wore off or she got a glimpse of what some of the other stores were like.

She glances at the prices of everything so far and has to hold herself back from visibly cringing. It was bad enough she would need to alter her plan to help Luz not be overwhelmed by her magic sensitivity every other day, but now Eda would need to do something about their money situation soon. The witch had forgotten how expensive durable clothing like these could get.

The kid better not need new clothes for a while.

“Look.” Back to this, huh, “ _Magic_ doesn’t care if she’s a witch or a fox demon in disguise or _a magicless human_ who found a tear in the veil and wandered through.”

See? Cryptic, creepy oracle magic. No obvious spell used half the time, just really good, scarily accurate “guesswork”. There's a reason why oracles were often recruited for tracking down wanted criminals other than Eda, and that is because most of them can figure out what you had for breakfast a week ago and where you were just from having a conversation with your friend you haven't spoken to in over two years.

It's bullshit is what it is.

Which is why Eda used their magic against them, along with some clever usage of illusion and plant magic, in order to hide herself from anyone and everyone who would try and find where she lives.

“Ash. I swear to Titan.”

“It's a good thing, Eda. This is a good thing. This should be cause to celebrate. I know you can't exactly announce it like other families but... Does your sister know?”

No. Lilith doesn't know because Eda has been busy these past few days and hasn't had the time. No, Lilith doesn't know because Eda can barely bring herself to acknowledge that this is really happening right now. Not even because of destiny, no. This shit happens because the witches involved make a choice, conscious of it or not, and their magic reacts accordingly. Eda having more than one instance that could qualify as when she had made that choice over the last few days. Most families today would quickly tack on an adoption ritual to cover up this use of wild magic because wild magic is bad, but it still happens anyway regardless of the law. It still happens regardless of all the coven mandated geas limiting how a witch can use their magic the second they join one. Eda doesn't care about that though and as they've established earlier, wouldn't be able to go through with a legal adoption anyway.

Lilith doesn't know because Eda is still debating whether or not to make her aware that Luz even exists in the first place.

Ash must see the murder in the Owl Lady’s eyes and body language, the witch’s hands held up in an placating gesture.

“So that’s a no, then. That’s fine. Not ideal but I know your situation is complicated.”

Sure. Complicated would be simplifying it but sure. She’ll go with that.

“How long have you had her?”

“Three.”

“What? Weeks?”

“Days.”

“ _No_.”

It's nice.

It's almost like they're old friends catching up after not seeing each other in a week.

“It's been an eventful three days.”

“What? Did you run from the guard or have to keep her from getting eaten?”

“Both, actually.”

Maybe they are, but it's been a lot longer than a week.

Living a life like she does doesn't lend well to having friends one can just spend time with whenever she has free time. Morton is the next closest thing she has to a friend and he's the one that badgers her over not waiting until the last dose to get more elixirs.

Ash gives a low whistle as if that's something to be impressed over, “Never a dull moment with you. Ah! Hey little owl, you've got everything?”

“Yep!”

“That’ll be three hundred snails.”

“Alright, Luz. We better get back before the storm hits. Bye, Ash.”

“Come around sooner than next year, yeah? Bye little Clawthorne. Hope to see you in here again soon.”


	5. Involuntary Shapeshifting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Chapter Title: The Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *praying*  
> God, I hope this lives up to expectations.

“Get these up to your room and you can watch me put up the barrier.”

“What? Really?! I haven't even had time to figure out the light spell yet–”

“One time offer, kid. Don't waste it.”

Luz squeaked and ran upstairs without another word. She was back down within a minute having only set the bags of clothes down and grabbed her phone.

“Okay. First I'm going to have to make one over myself. Make sure you stay put while I'm casting. It’s called Boiling Rain for a reason and I don't want to find out what happens if you get caught out in it.”

Luz gave a mock salute that she wasn't sure Eda completely understood, “Sure thing Eda!” As she got her phone ready with the camera set to video.

Eda draws the circle in the air at a slower pace than she normally would and holds it for a few seconds fully drawn.

“Ooo! Tastes like bubblegum!”

“Okay kid, get inside. You can watch the rest from the window.”

Luz agrees and cuts off the recording, watching as the bubble barrier forms over Eda covering her in golden amber light. The witch takes what looks to be a measured amount of steps away from the house before drawing another, much larger circle in the air. Eda evens out her breaths, tracing over the circle she’d just created several times before throwing out her hands first in front of her and then up and out to the side in a wide arc.

By the time Eda reentered the house she looked exhausted. The bubble spell, as Luz is going to call it now, over her dismissed itself with a pop that made them all wince.

“Until the rain stops, no one is leaving the house.”

“Oh! Oh! Luz! You can learn about demons while we’re stuck in here. I'll go get things set up!”

As King scurried off, Luz turned her attention back to Eda who was now in pajamas and curled up on the couch. Her gem that Luz had thought was a part of the witch’s dress and shirts that she wore was still there but not like Luz had thought.

“Is your gem a part of you?”

“Hm?”

“Your gem. On your chest. Is it attached to you?”

“Yeah. All witches get one of some type or another. ‘S a sign you’re an adult. Most younger witches around your age,” Eda yawns, “Most teen witches spend time finding one their magic likes or something like that. Wear them as jewelry or accents on their clothes. Some adults do it too if they don't want their actual gem to show. When you get to be, I think the age is seventeen now, there's a– It's attached to you. Over where the bile sack is.”

“Did it hurt?”

“Usually? No, it doesn’t hurt. You get a sleep spell strong enough to knock you out for the whole thing. But by the time I would have had mine done, I was...away from all of that. Had to improvise to do it myself.”

“You had dropped out by then. You were...you were alone?” It wasn't the question Luz really wanted to ask, even if this was all really interesting and she wanted to know more. She wanted to ask about why that witch at the clothes store called her ‘little Clawthorne’. What had Eda said while they were talking? She had gotten bits and pieces of it while looking for clothes. It had been almost too easy to not look like she was listening in, but even then most of what they said was too low for her to pick up on. Something about rituals and magic and witch stuff. Something about a sister that Eda had?

Luz didn’t know what that whole thing was about but she wanted to. More than that she wanted Eda to trust her. Letting the witch know that she had been listening in on a conversation she probably, definitely shouldn’t have, and then asking about it would be the worst way to do that.

“Not completely, but I wasn't in a position to go to a healer. She... did stay with me for the whole thing, though. Now are you going to let me sleep or are you going to keep asking questions the whole night?”

“Sorry. I'll go see if King is done.”

“Wait. Luz. I. It was just a question, kiddo. If you want I would stay up.”

“No. Eda, it's okay. Really. Do you want anything? Do you need me to help you to your room?”

“No. No, I'll be fine. But. There's a- there's a potion, an elixir. Up in my room. Bright, shiny gold-ish color. Could you get that for me? It's not labeled like everything else is. I need to fix that.”

“Sure! I'll be right back.”

Luz didn’t find any such elixir when she hesitantly went through Eda’s room. The giant nest in the room didn’t surprise her at all, what with the owl theme and how Eda acts so bird-like in little ways. Neither did the broken, hazardous mess of human objects, most of them shiny in one way or another.

She didn’t want to just start rooting through drawers and up ending everything, especially in the dark.

Luz stood there until a flash of lightning illuminated the space and still, no such potion bottle could be seen. None that were filled, anyway.

So instead of going back downstairs to potentially wake Eda from her nap, Luz went to her room where she knew King would be waiting. Maybe he would know where Eda kept any extras.

Only to find that he had what Luz was looking for in his paws.

“King? Why do you have that?”

“I found it in her room! I thought that if I could help you learn those spells, then we could get to learning about demons faster without you being distracted. So I grabbed this stuff that Eda takes every day so you could have it, because it gives her this boost of energy right after. I think that’s where she gets all that magical power from. So.”

“Do you know how a bile sack works, King?”

“No, but I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”

Luz doesn’t have the knowledge of witch biology or of this elixir to tell him exactly why doing something like this could be a very bad idea. So she will just have to go from what she does know. That Eda takes this stuff every day and she’s asking for it in a state where her magic is probably really low. In some media she knew if you used up all your magic the least of your problems is that you’re now vulnerable until it regenerates enough for you to start casting again. In others, it’s a legitimate health hazard.

Since magic for witches here on the Isles comes from an organ attached to their heart, Luz doesn’t think it a stretch to assume both of these to be true.

This elixir must be really important.

“I don’t know how it works either but for all we know that could be something she needs. She was asking for it just now–”

“Then why don’t you go into her room and find another one? she always has multiples of these lying around in there.”

“Because this one is right. Here. King, can you please hand it over so I can give this to her? I promise I'll pay attention to your demon lesson when I get back.”

King hugs the elixir close to him instead. Luz doesn’t understand it. They could get her one of Eda’s elixirs another time. Maybe even after she gives her this one. King doesn’t have to be so stubborn!

“King. Please.”

“No. Go get another one. It shouldn't be too hard to find.”

Luz steps forward and grabs a hold of the potion bottle as well, and predictably, the two of them start fighting over it. Pinpricks of something sharp dug into the skin of her arms and back.

“And you shouldn't have this one in the first place, King. I appreciate you trying to help me, even if it's just so you can talk to me about demons more, but this is serious!”

“So am I!”

Luz finally gets it out of King’s paws. She stumbles back, fumbling with the elixir to get a better grip but it slips and crashes to the floor as a loud screech echoes from somewhere downstairs.

Thunder roared overhead. Lightning flashed right outside her window allowing a better picture of the broken bottle on the floor and the steady drops of blood from where some shards and pieces were in Luz’s arms and legs.

She was sure King said something but Luz could barely hear his mental voice over the storm and the owls hooting and screeching in her mind. She had to get to the bathroom, get cleaned up, get as much of the glass out as she could and find Eda. Eda would be able to help. She’d be able to tell her what was wrong and what that creature was downstairs.

Just don’t think about being hurt. Don’t think about the warmth of Eda’s magic having left the second the elixir hit the ground.

  
  
  


The Owl hadn’t been awake in a long time.

Her witch was sleeping, resting while her magic recovered enough to pull the Owl back under again, but for now she was free to wander her aerie. Free of those stone walls in her witch’s mind. The crying, wide-eyed thing beyond their reach. The pain that she and her witch felt then. That they continue to feel as fractured as they are.

Her witch cannot hear her, as she cannot hear her witch. The Owl does not like it.

There are new things in the aerie, now. Things she takes care not to break or trip over as she moves. There is a new thing on the entrance to her aerie, but it is trapped there so she moves on. If it breaks free then she will catch it, but until then it is not worth the time and effort.

The Owl enters the kitchen but the new things are not there. They were here recently but are not now.

The stairs are tricky but not hard. Staying silent while scaling them is almost impossible but the Owl tries anyway. They creak and groan even as she skips several of them at a time.

The Owl does not like how narrow they are. The walls brush her feathers and fur in a way that reminds her of the stone, though it is not rough.

Now on the second level of her aerie she can hear voices above the rain and thunder of the storm outside. One is inside her head like a thought. It, and the scent she thinks belongs to it, is young, male, demon in the way it is layered with echoes of itself. The other is outside of her mind, female, and is something she does not know. She is young too, like the demon, and now that she’s close the Owl can tell she is hurt.

If they are intruders she will let them live. Let the hurt one heal and chase them out the second time she appears if her witch has not done so already.

She bumps her head against the closed entrance. She wants to see this demon and unknown creature who have let themselves into her aerie. The voice on the other side and in her head quiet.

She bumps her head against the entrance again. If they do not let her through she will simply rip it apart and eat it later.

No one moves, so she does as she planned. Their shrieks hurt her, but now she can see them.

A tiny bone dog. A tiny hellhound pup of a demon. And the other one whose scent does not make sense, the one who is hurt, calls her witch’s name.

The child, barely a fledgling, calls her witch’s name but her witch will not answer.

The Owl is not her witch. She is mighty and powerful in ways her witch is not, just as her witch is clever and powerful in ways she is not. What the young thing needs is magic to heal her. The magic of her witch could do this easily, and yet her witch is recovering, sleeping. There are tiny sharp shards in her skin that have not made her bleed yet still cause her pain that the Owl can see but cannot do anything about. There are more, bigger ones, that she has removed. Places where she bled that are cleaned and covered.

The small one calls for her witch again, sad and not hostile at all. The Owl should not respond. It is not her the small one wants or needs. The pup is scared and trying to get the injured fledgling to stop.

They know her witch. She will need to find out how, but the pup has been in her aerie long enough that his scent is mixed with her own all through where she has seen so far.

The small one is different. She has not been here as long. Days, maybe. But her scent is confusing. It is new but it is everywhere. It is not of a witch or of a demon. The child was awed by her, the Owl, not afraid.

Her witch must have let this one in for a reason the Owl does not know, but that means neither are intruders. They are a part of the aerie.

The Owl answers back. It may not be her name the fledgling calls for but she will respond if it puts her at ease.

The pup runs past her and through the broken entrance saying something that puts words into her head the Owl does not know or understand. She gets a picture of her nest, though, so that must be where he is going. She will follow and bring the fledging with her, who tries to stand but gives a breathy his of pain when she does. The young one has no visible wings with which to fly, despite being old enough to learn, so the Owl takes a part of her loose fur and picks her up.

The fledgling yelps like a pup, says things in words the Owl hasn’t heard before as she pads over to her nest. The cover to the entrance here was left open so it is no effort to let herself in.

The Owl sets the fledgling down carefully, gently into her nest, before settling in herself.

When she sees the burning gold-orange water that the pup brings out she growls. She does not want to leave yet and that will make her witch strong enough even in sleep to fight her. The fledgling puts her hands on her side, rounded, soft claws in her fur, and digs a little. The Owl focuses on her now, eyes narrow and teeth barred because they might be a part of her aerie but she will not let them–

Oh.

The fledgling is not trying to hurt her. She stops quickly in order to move her claws. Side to side, up and down, in magicless circles through her fur. It feels nice. Gentle. Soft. She speaks words the Owl doesn’t understand, but they don’t move the burning water from where the pup placed it. He leaves for a short time to grab something long and twisting to place in it, but doesn’t do anything else as he climbs over the edge of her nest to lay down with them.

The Owl doesn’t understand. She tries to vocalize this to them both and the fledgling points to her, then to the burning water, then back to her. Still moving her own soft clawed paws through her fur.

They were not doing anything but resting in the nest. The twisting tube was long enough for the Owl to reach if she stretched her neck a little.

Did they want her to do it herself?

The fledgling would still be injured with the shards still in her limbs for as long as the Owl remained and her witch was sleeping.

They were not making her drink it though.

She could choose? Or was it an illusion of choice?

She hated that false water more than anything. If she drank it, who knew when she would wake next? Would she wake to an empty aerie?

The Owl did not want that.

But they needed her witch right now.

She would have to find the strength to wake sooner.

  
  


“I’m sorry.”

Apologies were the least that Eda could give right now, as she twirled her index fingers in small circles to locate and extract the remaining glass from her apprentice. The pieces were tiny, some near microscopic. Luz was a trooper though and only cried a little so far, but there were still, to the witch’s eyes, a half dozen more. All of them in her legs and feet.

King was also spilling apologies in his own way. There were a few spoken ones, at least that Eda was aware of, but after that he took to giving Luz some of his loyal minions to cuddle with and nearly squeeze the stuffing out of while Eda worked.

“Were either of you hurt? By the owlbeast, I mean.”

“Nope!” King was the one to respond, “The owlbeast didn’t hurt either of us! Took a good long look at us after breaking the bathroom door and took Luz to your nest, actually.”

“She drank the potion on her own.” Luz’s voice was subdued, only cracking as Eda pulled the last shard from her and set to making sure everything was cleaned again. Most of them were small enough that only band aids were needed and wouldn’t scar. But one of them, on her arm, was long enough that a bandaid wouldn’t cut it and would scar even with healing magic involved.

“Yeah! I thought we would have to trick her into doing it somehow but Luz convinced me not to try anything and the owlbeast actually did it. It took a while though. I was almost asleep when it happened and you were back to being yourself again.”

“This wouldn’t have happened if I had told you about my curse earlier. Had it since I was a kid, though I don’t know who gave it to me or why... I’ve been managing it, though. Drink one of those elixirs once every day and I’m fine. But. If I don’t, well. That’s why people call me the Owl Lady. You shouldn’t need to worry about it, but I would understand if you are. If either of you want to leave.”

“It was an accident, Eda. It was my fault you didn’t get one in time and the owlbeast wasn’t that scary. I mean it was when it broke through the door but it didn’t try to eat us. Everything’s fine now. And we know what to do if you ever get feathery again.” King’s head swiveled so fast toward Luz that Eda thought it would snap, “Oh! Oh! Luz. Show her the thing! Show her the thing!”

Eda could only stare as King brought Luz’s notepad closer to her, which looked to be missing several pages, and a pen. Luz drew slowly, pausing when the witch could only assume there was a sting of pain from the cuts. She drew one circle. Then another within it. Then, a symbol Eda had never seen before.

Luz tapped it, and it was then that Eda was aware of where all the tiny orbs of light above them had come from.

They’d come from her.

Luz was doing magic.

“I couldn’t sleep while you were still out of it. Couldn’t move much either so I asked King to bring me my phone and stuff to draw with. I. Didn’t expect to see a symbol like this. A glyph, I think. King couldn’t see anything so I had to draw it for him and then I just. Tapped it to see what it would do and this happened.”

Eda was so proud of this girl she could cry. If she were the sappy, emotional type that did that sort of thing.

“You did it, sunshine. You found your way. I’m so proud of you. Awww yeah! I’ve got the best apprentice on the Boiling Isles! Ha! Lily and her little Blight can bite it!”

“Who’s Lily?”

Shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eda has a lot more explaining to do. Oops. Shouldn’t have let that last bit slip out, Owl Lady.
> 
> At least now we can rest for like. A week in universe. Unless within that week the Owl Fam get up to Shenanigans that I didn’t account for due to half this stuff being conjured from the Aether or taken from things/scenes I want to see happen.
> 
> *posts this chapter and then runs*


	6. Congrats, You're An Aunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz is informed of the "magi-doption"  
> Eda texts her sister  
> Luz actually gets to show that shes a nerd

The storm died down a few hours later and in that time Eda thinks she’d been pretty productive. She had cleaned up the mess in Luz’s room, double checked that she would have enough elixirs until the next time she could go see Morton, and was about to start preparing dinner. Thing was, dinner also meant Luz would insist on helping and ask her things all throughout. Eda couldn't just deny her though whenever she did that thing where her eyes went real wide and pathetic like a kitten.

Eda respected her cunning in weaponizing it to get what she wants, the little trickster.

“To answer all of those burning questions you have in that head of yours, Lilith is my sister. And yes, she was the one who was there when I put my gem in.”

“Is she nice? Will I get to meet her? What does she do?”

“She can be a right pain in my ass but eh, she’s okay I guess. She’s the head of the emperor’s coven so I don't get to see her very often anymore but I'm hoping to get her to stop by tonight or tomorrow.”

“Woah. Isn't she super busy then? Why so soon?”

Eda takes a minute to make sure she can step away before tracing a circle between the two of them.

Strings of golden light as thin as spider silk flickered into existence, connecting the two of them where Eda’s gem sits and where she thinks Luz’s heart is. Two birds of the same light, one larger than the other, flew about and crossed over and under one another with the other end of the string tied around their feet. When the larger bird reached Luz’s end, the string unraveled to connect to her. The bird paused there for a moment to sing a few notes before flying back to Eda to grab another one.

Eda didn't need to see the look of joy and awe on her kid’s face to know she’d been thoroughly distracted by the display. She gestured for them both to get focused on dinner again before something caught on fire as she dismissed the spell.

“That's why.”

“What do you mean? What is that? It was so beautiful.”

“That, Luz, is a representation of a, ah what's the word for it? It's a bond created by magic. I don't know what rumors humans have spread about this stuff but the first thing you should know about it is that it has nothing to do with destiny or fate. This wasn't predestined to happen. At some point we each made a choice, or several, conscious of it or not that led to this. It's some old wild magic saying we've basically adopted each other as family and got the magic seal of approval. There’s a fancy term for it but hell if I can be bothered to remember it right now.”

“We’re family now?!” The pitch of the sound Luz let out rivaled King’s squeal of rage, “That’s why your sister is going to come over? Because you're going to tell her about it? Dios mío, is me being a human going to be a problem? Should I hide that with her? How did this happen? I mean I don't have any magic of my own. Why would–”

“If you being a human is going to be a problem for her I'll just ask Hooty to _kindly_ see her out. And I was asking that same question about your side of things but apparently it doesn't matter. Are you...happy? With this? I know you wanted to stay here a while but you have your own mom to go back to, eventually.”

That was the million snail question, wasn't it? Would Luz be happy with this? After she goes back home would Eda never see her again? Did Luz ever wonder why Eda had done all she's done for her? Eda couldn't put it all down to the bond as neither of them could pinpoint when it had first been created.

The Owl Lady couldn't tell, if anyone asked, why she had gone and gotten so invested so quickly.

“Yeah? Why wouldn't I? I get more family that actually likes me.” Luz looks like she struggles with whether or not to say more. Eda has her suspicions, wants the girl to be able to say what's on her mind no matter what it is, but keeps her own mouth shut for now.

When all that was left to do was let the food cook in the oven, both of them cleaned up and retreated to the couch. Luz taking her notepad and phone to practice drawing the bubble glyph and Eda summoning her scroll to text her sister.

Eda: lils

Eda: you busy

Lily: No, I just got out of a meeting. What is it, Edalyn? Do you need something?

Eda: ew proper grammar

Eda: is this your last meeting for today

Eda: what are even all of them about surely you dont need to be at all of them

Lily: I do need to be there for most of them. This is the last one today, yes.

Lily: However, for some I am only there until I determine whether it is worth my time.

Lily: This one was about a school and I did need to attend.

Lily: Now, what is it?

Eda: school oh no

Eda: ouch i dont envy you but

Eda: i wanted to send congrats

Lily: I don't know what I'm being congratulated for?

Lily: Sister, you've been typing for a while now. Is everything alright?

Lily: Edalyn?

Eda: you are aunt now

Lily: I'm sorry?

Lily: Please forgive me but if this is some kind of prank I refuse to fall for it.

Eda: Lilith Clawthorne you are now an Aunt you have a Niece i shit you not

Eda: i am Not making this up

When Lilith didn’t give an immediate response, Eda turned her attention to her apprentice. The girl had shifted focus it seems from her drawing to whatever she was looking at on her phone and writing them down.

“What’s you doing now, sunshine? Thought you were working on your second spell?”

“I was! But then I remembered how a part of the light glyph looked familiar so I looked through a couple things I have saved on my phone and. And Eda, look!” The human shoved her rectangular bat scroll close to Eda’s face so it took a second for her eyes to focus on what she was being shown.

“What am I looking at?”

Luz bounced in her seat as she, blessedly, took her human scroll back, “It's an alchemy symbol for an element called phosphorus. Phosphorus can make stuff glow in the dark and the symbol also represents light. And I think I'm seeing other symbols in these glyphs too, not just this one. Oh man oh man, King! I need more paper please! Thank you!”

Lily: How?

Eda: wild magic sis

Eda: how fucking else

Eda: it's not like i can have kids

Eda: unless i ritual me some tiny mes but lets be honest here that's not going to happen

Eda: and we also know i cant just go and ritually adopt cause no one would let me

Eda: so this isnt either of those

Eda: magic dont care about that though

Eda: oracle friend and spell confirmed i am in fact a magic approved mother some fucking how

Eda: so like i said

Eda: congrats sis

Eda: you gonna get your flat emperors left shoe kissing ass over here so i can introduce you two cause shes excited to meet you

Eda: rambling about multiple different topics a mile a minute even now as i type this with her watching over my shoulder

Eda: so yeah aunt lily yay or nay the kid wants to know what you wanna b called

Eda: uh lils you haven't said any in a while you not dead right

Lily: I can assure you I am alive. I was just thinking. Aunt Lily is fine if that's what she wants to call me.

Eda: oh good good i dont have to kill anyone today

Lily: You wouldn't do that.

Eda: try me bitch

Lily: I'm just going to ignore that and move on. Again, I must reiterate. How?

Lily: How long has she been with you? How old is she? I need to know what trouble it is that I need to bail you out of. Again.

Eda: first of all

Eda: rude i haven't gotten into any trouble this time

Eda: secondly

Eda: 4

Lily: Four days? Weeks? Four years old? Four years she's been with you?

Lily: Edalyn please tell me you didn't become a mother of four and didn't tell me of the other three because you thought it would be funny.

Eda: yeah their names are owlbert hooty king and the new one is your niece whos on the young side somewhere in her teens idk i havent asked

Eda: and i meant four days shes been here with me lily geez i thought you knew me

Eda: it's not like I robbed some poor caretakers home i'm a petty thief not a child thief

Eda: so are you coming over or not

Eda: the kid is a bigger nerd than either of us by the way

Eda: when in doubt give her a book

Eda: in case you need ideas for introductory gift giving

Lily: Have you had dinner yet?

Lily: I could come over tonight. There is something I would like to talk to you about anyway.

Lily: Outside of your recent unofficial adoption that is.

Lily: What’s her name?

Eda: ill make an extra plate

Eda: dinner is in the oven you got time

Eda: tried one of our favorites as kids

Eda: kid helped so probably edible

Eda: said her name is luz

Eda: didn't give a last name when we met I just now realized that

Eda: ive just been informed it's noceda

Eda: good to know

Lily: Should I look to see if there is any record of the name?

Lily: Does she have any blood family?

Eda: no need to but honest if you find anything let us know

Eda: she do but only one worth mentioning is her mom

Lily: Alright. I just arrived home. I will be over there soon.

Eda: hooty will guide you to the house

Lily: I’ll make sure to bring ear plugs then.

Eda: he isnt that bad

Eda: most of the time

Eda: but do what you want

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next:  
> Clawthorne/Owl family dinner  
> (God this day isn't even over yet)  
> It's going to be as chaotic as it sounds


	7. Please Titan, Just Let Me Have One Good Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner!  
> And a gift!  
> And a short conversation between the Clawthorne Sisters

Luz was humming a song to herself as she divided out the food onto everyone’s plates. It was some demonic creature that she thinks she read briefly about as a part of one mythology or another. Maybe. She hasn't had any demonic food before, and so hasn't had much meat in general the last few days as both Eda and Luz herself weren't sure what it would do to her to eat it. This time though Luz had wanted to try. If asked, she would say in all honesty it was entirely because it had been one of Eda’s favorites as a kid.

Despite the part in the middle with the glass, today was turning out to be the best day she's had so far since she first arrived on the Boiling Isles.

She got new witchy clothes and a couple of them were owl themed. She found out Eda was essentially her magical guardian or something here which was amazing! Luz having family besides her mother that did more than tolerate her at family gatherings was another one of her dreams come true. And she got to see why Eda had all that extra stuff in her magic.

She was a little unsure at the beginning because she didn't know how the Owl part of Eda would react to her but apparently she reacted like most other animals when Luz was nearby. Chill unless something else startled her.

“HOOT! Eda, your sister is here!”

“Edalyn, I swear to Titan…”

Luz dropped the fork she was using to carry the pieces over onto the plates and backed out of the kitchen to see this person she had, childishly in her mind now that she had time to think, dubbed Aunt Lily.

“Oh.” Luz could only stare as Lilith took in the fact that she was human, or that she was in a pair of owl themed pajamas, or something else besides. All the nerves she thought she would have was buried as Lilith’s magic washed over her.

“What is she doing?” She heard her magic aunt ask.

“Staring into your soul and judging your worth as a person.” Eda answered in the most deadpan tone of voice Luz had heard from her so far as she took a sip of apple blood.

Wow. That was a lot of salt. And not even sea breeze salt you get from the ocean that smells and tastes okay. No, it's just straight up table salt. Paired with something ice cold and coffee too, but the salt threw what would have been a good taste and smell combination way off.

“Can humans do that?”

“She can.”

“I don't know why you're so salty but can you tone it down a little?”

Next thing Luz knew Eda was howling with laughter and Lily looked confused and mildly terrified.

“ _Please_? It's throwing everything else off. I'd like to be able to eat dinner without the salt just...”

“Oh my fucking Titan!” Luz didn't know what was so funny but she was glad Eda was laughing. Even if it was worrying because she hasn't taken a breath yet.

“What else is there, Luz?”

“Strong coffee that's kind of bitter? Maybe? I don't really know. _I can't tell_. And ice too. Cold scent and taste. Not too cold though it's like it's supposed to make the coffee into cold coffee but then. W– does _everyone_ in your family have an affinity for birds because I think I hear crows? Or is it ravens? Aunt Lily can you please? Edaaa. I need something to get the salt out of my mouth.”

“Sorry, Lily. We’ll explain in a minute. It's not bad, I promise I just. I can't _believe!_ C’mon kid. You gotta snap out of it now. I’d like to have dinner with you all here.”

“I _am_ here, Eda.” Her reply came out as a whine as she makes a face and sticks her tongue out as if that would work, “I'll try to ignore it, though. If I focus on the other stuff the salt isn't that bad.”

She shuffled back into the kitchen to finish up and set the table as Eda whispered something to Lily. Hopefully explaining her less than stellar first impression and that it was magic she was sensing, not souls.

“I’ll get the drinks. Can you call King down from wherever he is upstairs?”

“Si.” One, loud shout of “KING, GET DOWN HERE BEFORE WE EAT ALL THE FOOD” later from the bottom of the stairs and Luz was sitting herself in the chair that has become hers. Eda had already set out the drinks, so all that was left was everyone taking their seats and King running down and climbing to get in his high chair. Luz knows by now not to ‘aww’ at it because the chair was only there because of his height, not his still unknown age.

“Hey Lils. Do you remember the last time we had this?”

“You mean the last time _you_ had it? When we stayed with our grandparents one summer and you refused to eat it if it didn't have that boneberry sauce since then? Yes, I do remember.”

“I didn’t invite you over just to be attacked like this. Damn.”

“Not my fault you hated eating capricorn because you thought it would turn you into a goat.”

“Only because you told me that would happen!”

“I thought you were smarter than that.”

“I was eight! What did you expect?!”

“That reminds me of what happened with my cousin Leo with honey.”

And then suddenly all eyes were on Luz.

“Well? You can’t just say that and leave it there. What happened?”

“Um. Well. So at a family reunion years ago my aunt Andrea was telling one of my cousins, Leo, that if he eats a lot of honey he'll turn into a bee. And he likes bees. So for the next six months he eats almost everything he can with honey, hoping that one day he would become a bee. He eventually found out because of his parents that Andrea was wrong but. But for a while there whenever I saw him he would tell me he’s going to become a bee so my little seven year old self decided to be clever and that I should call him honeybee from then on.”

Dinner with Luz around was an event in the Owl House. Eda would share stories about stuff she'd stolen over the years or run-ins with the Emperor’s Coven or the guard in whichever town she was in that day. King, if he was done eating before the other two, would try and get Luz to give some of hers. Once, Owlbert spun off his staff and bribed Luz for a few pieces of a fruit they had by being very adorable.

Eda had to remind them both that just because Luz didn't eat everything off her plate every time, it didn't mean they were allowed to take anything from it or bribe her for more food. Not until after she was done, at least.

With Lilith here too, it was even better.

Partially because Luz got to learn more about her new family and what Eda and her sister had been like as kids.

“Oh Titan, don't remind me. Please. That Grom was a complete disaster from start to finish.”

“Are we remembering the same Grom? From my perspective you were having a great time.”

“Yeah. But you weren't. Your date was being an ass, Lily.”

Mostly it was because Luz got to pet Lilith’s palisman and sneak bits of her food to the little raven and Owlbert both when their witches weren't looking.

“Luz? Do you have any other stories to share?”

“I. Do remember a wedding me and my mami went to for one of her cousins. I don't remember a whole lot from it, or who it was getting married, but my uncle Santiago said something that made my mami punch him in the face. I've never seen her that mad until that day. Or since.”

“What about your dad? Or his family?”

The whole table goes real quiet for a solid minute. Eda must have seen what kind of expression Luz had on her face because she adds, “Okay cool. If we ever see him we’re feeding him to Hooty.”

“I brought you a gift. I hope you like it.”

After dinner, Lilith summoned a thick, heavy tome of a book that immediately fell to the floor with a thud.

“Holy shit. Lily, you didn't.”

“I don't see what the problem is? She may be human but I'm sure she’ll still find a use for it. You are, after all, the one teaching her.”

“Thank you but, um, this thing tastes weird. Is it going to open up and bite me or poison me if I touch it?”

It certainly did have a bad taste to Luz. Then again, too much black pepper always had made her sneeze.

“Achoo!”

"What in the world are you talking about?”

"I can feel the vibes in this thing and they're not. They’re not." Luz sneezed twice more, “Cash money.”

"Cash money? Lily gave you snails too? How much?"

"I don't know what sort of gift is customary in the Human Realm when one acquires a new family member, but I can assure you the Clawthorne Grimoire has not been poisoned. You are my niece. I would never do that to my family.”

“Not actual money, Eda, it's– you know what? Never mind.” Eda shrugged, trying not to keep stealing glances at the book as she hands a box of tissues over to Luz.

"Well. Since this isn't going to potentially harm _my baby_...” Luz tries to look offended but all she got was another round of sneezing as the pepper got to her again.

"I'm not a baby. I'm 14.” She protests. It felt like Eda was making fun of how she sounded when she sneezed. Or was playing up a protective mother role for a second for a reason Luz couldn't begin to guess at.

"You've only existed here, not even legally, for half a week. You're practically a newborn.” Hold on, some part of that made a connection go in her brain.

“Oh my God. I'm illegal?”

“What– No that's not what I said!”

Later, before Lilith was due to go back home, Eda sent Luz and King to go over the book or some lesson on demons again or whatever the two of them wanted to do with the rest of their evening, as she and her sister went outside to talk.

“You gave us– gave her that book? I know you're more a stickler for the rules than I am so why?” Eda bit out the next few words almost like it hurt to say them, “Mom and dad would be furious.”

“Yes, well. Mom and dad are dead.” Ouch, “As the “Head of the family” I get to make the rules now, and neither of us are getting younger. So. It seemed only right for me to give it to the one who managed a similis animus first.”

“What did you want to talk to me about anyway?”

“They want me to take up a teaching position.”

Eda's first reaction was to laugh. She couldn't picture her sister in any teaching position and the thought fact that she even has an apprentice to be a miracle. Lilith didn't say anything and just watched as her younger sister realized she wasn't joking. Of course she hadn't been joking.

“You? A teacher? Sure you were the top student in school but why would they want you to be a teacher?”

“Yeah. Didn't think this was where I would be when I graduated, but. The other coven leaders think it's a good idea. They pointed out how I'm “rarely ever seen outside of tracking down criminals” and “this would be good for the public's opinion of me”. I think they just want to keep me out of something but I can't prove that. I don't even know if that's why they are doing this but they've backed me into a corner and it's highly suspicious and if I refuse–”

“I think that they think you're a shut in and this is their way of making you get out and socialize with people more. Or they could actually be plotting something sinister like you think and want you out of the way and busy because they think you'd be against it.”

“Edalyn! You're not helping!” This was really upsetting her, wasn't it? The thought that those conniving, scheming, backstabbing sons of griffins could have chosen her as their next target?

Eda already knew she wouldn't allow that to happen. She just needed Lilith to know that she wasn't powerless in this situation.

Whatever had been said in that meeting must've been bad if Lilith wasn't confident in her own abilities right now. All because they wanted her to be a teacher?

Yeah. No. Eda wasn't buying it. There is definitely more going on here.

“If you think you're going to be overwhelmed with work, get someone to field all of the meetings you don't need to be there for and all the paperwork you don't need to sign. Make sure there's someone who can take over as a substitute in case you have coven duties you can't just skip out on during school days. Make this work in your favor, not theirs. You are the leader of the Titan Damned Emperor’s Coven and have been for over twenty-five years now and if they don't respect that, that's on them. Not you. C’mon sis. You've got this. 

“You just need to remind them why they call you the Storm Witch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Oh my God. I'm illegal?" - has the same energy as "We're going to McDonalds if I don't do my homework?"
> 
> And I didn't exactly intend for that ending to be so serious sounding but that's what happened so. Blame Eda for being dramatic I guess.


	8. Owl (Does Not) Panic Over Sick Owlet, More At 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz: is sick  
> Eda: !
> 
> Me: I'm never writing ill characters again. I've learned my lesson just let me go home.

Luz was slow to wake up the next morning. She was at her desk again with a half-drawn glyph in front of her and a pencil in her hand. Her neck and back ache from being hunched over for hours into the night when both her mind and body were supposed to be resting. With the kind of sleepwalking that she had now, likely somehow due to all the magic on the boiling isles, this wasn’t a surprise. She’d been dreaming of coming up with a combination of the light and bubble glyphs and her body had responded by getting up and going through the motions.

What she was left with now that she was blinking away the heaviness from her eyes was a desk full of crumpled up pieces of paper, an aching hand and arm, a notepad that was almost empty now, and the glyph in front of her that was half done and the outermost circle just shy of being completed. To prevent accidental activation.

At least she still had some self-preservation while asleep now.

All of yesterday had been eventful, to say the least. She was ecstatic that Eda’s sister accepted her with, seemingly, no problem and no hesitation but that also made her wary. Luz obviously would love to have more family that accepted her but past experience told her that was impossible. Everyone in her extended family knew about Luz and what she was like. Andrea tolerated her. Santiago, as it had turned out, had called her a witch as an insult and that’s why her mami had punched him. Leo was nice but as they grew older it became a polite sort of nice because by this point they’re practically strangers to each other. A lot of Luz’s extended family were like that, actually. Polite to her face but whispering and shooting disbelieving looks at her mom when they thought she couldn’t see or hear.

Lilith must be something like that, now that they’ve met and Luz went and blurted out what the witch’s magic was like with zero context then or ever throughout the night. She even had the nerve to complain about the family book Lilith gave her because the magic coating it made her taste pepper and sneeze.

She’d be the weird kid once again. The weird one in a land filled with everything she’d hoped and dreamed was real.

Rubbing at her eyes and wincing at just how sore she was, Luz got up from where she sat to run through some stretches she knew she’d need to do throughout the day. Her head was pounding but she hoped that would be relieved by getting something into her stomach, food or water or both. The sun was just visible over the horizon when she looked out her window and King wasn’t anywhere in sight so he must be downstairs already. If the smell was anything to go by, Eda had another restless night and was up early enough to put something together for breakfast.

It made her stomach send signals to her brain that no, food was not a good idea right now. And the capricorn, as she had learned, had tasted so good too. Maybe it had been the sauce with it that was making her stomach riot, though. The vegetable roughly adjacent to “corn” they’d had on the side was something she’d had before so that was safe. Maybe it wasn’t a demon food allergy but the other option wasn’t any better. Getting sick when she had no defenses against anything here on the isles was going to suck even with just a cold.

“Luz? You up yet kiddo?”

Today was probably going to be another potion-run day and Luz did not want to feel as bad as cow manure smelled before her day even started.

“I’m going to be a vegetarian by the end of the week, Eda.” She called out as she fell face first into her bed.

“Feeling that bad, huh?”

“Like someone should stab me and get it over with.”

“No one is stabbing you except a healer with a needle, Luz.”

“Maybe I just need to get used to eating boiling isles food. Maybe I’m not having a bad reaction cause I’ve got a stupid demon food allergy.”

“It’s your stomach, kid. If you aren’t feeling better by noon you aren’t going out for potion delivery today, by the way. And if it gets _any_ worse you let me know.”

The low clicks of Eda’s heeled boots on the floor, getting fainter as she left, was the last thing she heard before Luz drifted off.

  
  


Hours passed with Luz dozing, falling in and out of a sleep that not even her sleepwalk dreaming could make her body move from. Not that she would want to. Her whole body felt heavy regardless and it was hard to think. Hard for her to know when she was awake versus when she was asleep because everything was awful. The vanilla and cinnamon and raspberry were stabbing her nose. The back of her throat was itching at her to cough and even under the blankets for a while now she was feeling cold. Luz had thought it had just been because she had stayed up at her desk in a house that was naturally cold at night that had kept the chill from going away completely once she was covered up.

But no, of course not.

The knock at her door shouldn’t have made her wince.

Yeah. This was definitely going to suck.

Luz didn’t want to eat anything, but about half an hour later Eda came in through the door with a bowl of soup. The grey-haired witch had been planning on going out herself but when, hours later, Luz still didn’t come downstairs she thought to check on the girl. It wasn’t quite noon yet, but one look at her and Eda knew there was no way Luz was doing anything more strenuous than walking to and from the bathroom today.

While Luz was propped up by a dozen pillows and eating the soup at a glacial pace Eda went ahead and twirled her finger in a tight circle. Healing spells weren’t her best track of magic by far but she had over the years gotten better at them the more she found use for them. Like construction magic.

This one was a simple detection spell, targeted at Luz’s temperature because if the kid had a fever then Eda would need to make sure King stayed away and she took her own health precautions too. As much as she could, anyway, being the one who had to take care of her.

“What’s your normal temp?”

“97 ish. 98 sometimes.”

“This spell says 38 right now. So is that some sort of human system you’re using or is it really supposed to be that high?”

“Oh. 36 ish then. We have two different ones. Glad you have one of them and not some, not some third one that has us both freaking out.”

“Yeah, but having two in the first place is inefficient.”

The laugh she gave at that wasn’t up to normal Luz standards but it was something, “Yeah. I guess it is. I’m used to the first one. With the 97. Not many countries use it.”

“Then why does yours?” Now was not the time to ask what a country was.

“I don’t know. Could look it up.”

“Nope. You aren’t using your brain today, kid. No learning for you.”

“But-”

“Nope!” Luz made an aborted motion to cover one of her ears so Eda clicks her jaw shut and keeps her voice level, “I don’t want to hear it. You can go back to being a nerd when you’re feeling better.”

Luz’s temperature a few hours later was higher than it was before.

“Shit.” It wasn’t by much, certainly not by a whole number, but still. It was already in a worrying stage for a witch from the first check she’d done. Already close to the point where Eda would have to take her to a healer if Luz were one. That she isn’t, and that her kid ran a little hotter than the majority of witches on the isles, even practitioners of fire magic for one coven or another, was the only thing keeping her from finding one.

It hadn’t kept her from letting her sister know.

That had been two hours ago by Eda’s last check and Lilith still hadn’t responded yet. Granted, Lilith could be in another meeting that was running long and the Owl Lady had said it wasn’t an emergency. It could be a while before her sister is able to even see it.

“Magic is too loud, Eda.”

Luz’s sensitivity to magic was perhaps more of a pain than it was trying to get the human to speak up when she needed something. Even if it did mean Eda went to reheat the same bowl of soup for the third time in as many hours. There were minutes where Luz would be rambling on and on about what was around her only to fall silent and cover as much of her head as possible. Practically burying it under pillows and blankets while giving herself room enough to breathe still. Eda wasn't sure if she knew all of what she was talking about as the last time Eda had asked, Luz pointed in the direction of the beach, a half mile downhill, and told her there was another trash slug and that somehow living ones smelled worse than dead ones.

In a lull when they all thought Luz was finally getting some well deserved sleep, the owl lady pulled out her project to get Luz some long term help in managing this sense long term. She had to switch out what material she would be working with for this, but the other one could be recycled into gloves for the kid to better work her drawing magic.

The hat she was making would hopefully do its job as intended well enough. Witch’s Wool wasn't easy to come by or get on short notice after all and Eda wanted to get this done right the first time. It would repel powerful spells, true. That's what witches always used it for. But it also repelled magic in general too and that's what Eda is banking on with this. Block most of the signals coming in so Luz won't be overwhelmed by it to the point of crying while Eda could do nothing about it.

All that was left to do now was knit the wool into an actual hat, probably a beanie because the kid seemed to like them, that Luz could wear.

Aunt Salt: What do you mean Luz is sick?

Aunt Salt: She was fine yesterday.

Eda: fuvkin fonally

Aunt Salt: Edalyn.

Eda: alright alright hold please i am busy with three things at once

Eda: i have a thing that might help luz not be as’salt’ed by salt when you come over

Eda: kid was up all night trying to crack the code on how she can use and learn new spells faster

Eda: already has a lot put together from the two she has

Eda: but yeah i need to make sure she gets better soon her temp rose a little last i checked but it's

Eda: humans run different from witches

Eda: need to finish this too though kid said she could smell a trash slug all the way over by the beach earlier and i can't

Aunt Salt: Edalyn, you're not making any sense

Eda: ha

Eda: wait did we not tell you about her being able to sense magic last night

Eda: did we really forget to do that

Eda: kid can sense magic as stuff from her other senses like tasting salt from you and also pepper from the real family grimoire

Aunt Salt: She can what.

Eda: yeah

Eda: so apparently when she gets sick her magic sense goes crazy

Eda: and i have been dealing with it

Eda: everything's fine

Aunt Salt: You transformed _yesterday_ , Edalyn! You should be _resting_!

Eda: woah bringing out the italics now

Eda: ill rest as soon as i get this done and luz starts feeling better

Eda: lily

Eda: okay thanks lils

Eda: good talk

Eda: if you're coming over to lecture me can you bring some bone broth with you

Eda: and maybe some eyescream while your at it i have a feeling this is gonna be a long night

“My new friend is here!” Hooty announced sometime later. Eda hadn't been paying attention. She had been back and forth between King, the beanie which was turning out to be a nice shade of blue she thinks Luz will like, and Luz who's having a good, quiet moment right now. Her temperature was back to what it was when Eda had first checked and the only part of her magic sense that was bothering her at the moment was her hearing. Lots of owls hooting or something.

Eda had walked in on her watching videos on a low volume with King sitting a ways away. Likely to try and distract her from the other noise she was hearing. Make her have to focus on it to hear it.

Not the best tactic, probably? Eda didn't know that for sure. This was all uncharted territory for the witch. Eda hopes it’s working out.

Back to the hat it was and making sure to cast size shifting spells into the cords as she went. Once done she wouldn't be able to change anything without risk of unraveling it and undoing all her work, so working in spells like this one, so she didn't need to worry about it being just right to fit the humans head, was a must.

One of her elixirs sits off to the side, just in case.

“I am not your friend.”

“Aw, Lily. Don't be like that.” Eda says by way of a greeting not looking up from her knitting, “You'll hurt his feelings.”

“You.” Ah, there it was, “What are you doing now?”

“Nothing strenuous. Physically. I'm knitting a hat that’ll hopefully help Luz’s sense-hijacking magic,” Eda paused for a moment to make a vague circling gesture with her hand, “sense. You got the eyescream?”

“No. I got bone broth like you requested, a few teas because I know you don't keep these kinds of things in stock in favor of that apple blood you drink too much of, and a recommendation for a healer.”

“Damn. I was looking forward to apple bloody road.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that sickness progressed quickly, you may be thinking.
> 
> Over an entire night where Luz was sleep drawing in a cold room not under thick fluffy blanket? After having a very eventful four days? Yes. Yes, it did.
> 
> Heads up yall
> 
> Idk when the next one of these (or of Mythosverse) is gonna be out next because this Entire Month *pulls up calendar* is looking... Yep I'm gonna be busy in one capacity or another for the majority of this month.
> 
> This chapter got cut short because I realized the time skip summery would skip into Covention timetable territory and I needed to leave that alone.
> 
> Quick Edit:  
> TO THE GUEST THAT LEAVES PARAGRAPHS ON THESE CHAPTERS.
> 
> PLEASE.
> 
> WE JUST WANT TO TALK.


	9. Found Family Trope Screaming Down the Highway at 100mph

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz has a way to explain what's going on to her mom, now, and Eda tells a story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is basically what this entire fic has turned into and I can't even be mad.

The healer as it turned out, thankfully wasn't needed this time. Luz’s temperature had started to go down by midday Friday, and by Saturday she was back to being a lovable gremlin that had dug her way into Eda’s life and was up and moving before Eda felt she should be. Nothing short of a spell was going to get that kid to sit down and laze around for another day.

“Morning Eda!” The kid chirped at too titandamned early in the morning. Eda doesn’t know why she was even awake right now. Sure, she had stuff to do but that could be done later, and the kid could take care of breakfast just fine. They had cake in a pan mix from Earth that Owlbert had brought in yesterday so at least now there’d be some variety to what Luz and King were having every morning.

“Mornin’ hon. You got your phone out for glyphs already? It’s barely sunrise.” Something about what she said struck her as painfully domestic and something that the Eda of just two weeks ago would scoff at her for.

“Nope! I’m making videos to send to my Mami. So I can tell her about where I am and what I’m doing and show her I’m not in any danger even though I’m not where I’m supposed to be, which is bad. And so maybe you can talk to each other on a video call so Mami can see that you’re not some mean old witch-”

“Uh, kid. Hate to disappoint you but I am a mean old witch. I’m mean. I’m old. I’m a witch.”

“You’re not old! You’re like, in your forties still right? It’s just the curse that makes your hair all grey so people underestimate you and think you’re older than you actually are. And you’re not mean.”

“That’s sweet that you’re lying just to make me feel better,” Luz sticks her tongue out at her in a very mature fashion, “I also like how me not being mean was an afterthought." She teased, “but what was that about talking to your mom? I’m going to do what now?”

“Talk to my Mami? I was thinking that’d be later though. After I finish the tour of the house and some of what’s been going on the past week.”

“Some of?”

“Yeah! I… don’t remember part of my first day here cause, y'know. And uh, what happened the second day I’d rather you be there to help with that one…”

“Right. Right. Just let me know ahead of time and don’t go into the basement. Now, how many cakes in a pan do you want?”

“We have pancakes?” Luz was now right up next to her, staring at the pan and the mix that was sizzling in the pan. Her eyes were wide and bright when Eda took her eyes off the panned cakes for two seconds. And if she had this much energy in the morning now then she’s definitely feeling better than she had been. Luz took a sniff, then, and hummed. Good to know that Eda was doing something right with this. Sometimes even with their clear, thought out instructions, human food could be hard to make right. At least with this there wasn’t an egg called for and she had to run through her head what kind of egg they could possibly mean and then ask Luz only to realize where she’s from, they used chicken eggs.

Chicken eggs were far too spicy, though, so Eda had to improvise.

“As of yesterday.”

“I’ll take three!”

A thump from King somewhere behind them signaled that he was downstairs now as well and wide awake. And had apparently overheard part of their conversation already as the little demon climbed into his seat at the table and made it known loud and clear what he wanted.

“Give me five!”

Eda had to wrestle Luz into taking a bath once breakfast was finished, wiping down her chair and the railing one last time to try and make sure neither Eda nor King would catch anything themselves. While the kid was getting clean, Eda busied herself with getting the kid’s room back in order. Mainly, doing laundry. The clothes Luz had been wearing before and the sheets of her nest- bed, all had to be washed.

It was a simple if somewhat monotonous task. The sheets would be harder to deal with but only slightly. Eda set up a washtub out of a bucket she keeps just for this purpose, filled it halfway with water from the kitchen sink, and warmed it with a spell. Then she found a bottle of Fabric potion and poured the amount she had written on the label. Just in case she forgot. Even though she hasn't forgotten in the last two decades.

Then she took out a soaking scrub and washboard.

She didn't have a machine to do all this like most witches down in Bonesborough. She had however alleviated some of the labor involved. No longer was she eighteen, nineteen, twenty years old having to practically pray to the Titan that stains and sickness were purged clean. Now it's simply letting the scrub soak in the mixture, wiping down the piece of clothing or other fabric with it, letting it set in for a minute before repeating this a few times. Drying had always been easy, with the right spell. It was how she kept her limited wardrobe, and indeed the dress she wore almost daily now, clean. She had the alternative to hang them up outside to dry but Eda wasn't the most patient of witches. She would readily expend a meager amount of magic to get something done faster. Whether it be drying clothes or finding something in the house or cooking.

Eda heard the water draining through the pipes and knew Luz was done with her bath. Just in time too. Now Eda could give back those owl-themed pajamas the kid had been wearing the past few days. Not just because Luz had been sick but she also knew it was because the teen liked them. They were comfortable, which was the point, but also sweet silk soft besides. Eda had seen Luz running her fingers over the sleeves more than once. Outside of the first few times, it had been around the times where Luz felt in some way overwhelmed, by the magic she was sensing or otherwise. 

The Owl Witch needed to think of something for that too, then. Maybe whenever she talked to the kid’s mother.

Eda was resolutely not thinking about the possibility that Luz might not get to stay here. For any amount of time, or with any regularity. She had to trust, as hard as that had been for her over the years. She had to trust that this Good Thing she’d been given would not be taken away from her.

The gray maned witch was just putting the last of the sheets and blankets back on the bed and the pajamas hung up when Luz burst into her room heading straight for her phone. Her hair was a right mess and soaking wet still, dripping water onto her other sleeping outfit and onto the floor.

Eda’s claws twitched. She had combs and brushes and could spell some heat into a towel to dry her hair faster and make it presentable. Instinct, however, said to go through the human’s hair with her own claws instead. Bring her out into the sun, somewhere higher up and safe. Let the wind and the sun and her claws at her owlet’s crest feathers and–

Oh. Eda had zoned out and now Luz was staring at her with mild concern. Or maybe it was just nervousness? Eda couldn’t puzzle the human’s facial expression out enough to tell.

“What’s up?”

“I heard you talking at the store the other day and I wasn’t sure how to bring it up cause I didn’t hear everything but I heard, uh, something about your blood being pure or something? And the store person called me by your last name as we were leaving so I was wondering what all that was about? I was gonna ask earlier but you had a long day and then I got sick and it just… never came up, I guess.”

Of course, her kid would eavesdrop by accident. Of course, she would have heard that part of the conversation. It’s not as if that store had been big, after all. And with no one else there at the time, it was no wonder.

“Well. First, let's get your hair in order. You got a brush or comb with you?”

“Yeah.” Luz fetches a comb from her bag. Eda sat them both down on the now cleaned nest-bed and worked out the tangles and knots with her claws before running it through with the brush.

It takes a moment for Eda to work through the weight that settled in her chest to speak, “All being a pureblood means is, a witch only has other witches in their ancestry for as far back as they know, and the same for demons. Magically speaking, this only really matters with blood magic. Some healing magic uses it as well as most, if not all, familial magic. Think wards to protect people’s homes and belongings, or that grimoire that Lily gave you. It… does matter when it comes to curses, too, I guess.

“That should be the end of it, really. Knowing if a witch has any demon blood in them so a transfusion doesn’t kill them. Being able to leverage it to keep your house from being broken into or getting a contract to keep someone away from you and your family. But some people, witches and demons both, make a big deal out of it. Especially since Emperor _Bonehead_ came around. Most of the pureblood families now, the ones that still have their heirlooms and grimoires and tapestry trees, are the wealthy ones. The ones with influence and power because they locked all things “wild magic” away and groveled to the Emperor. They’re the only ones who have books and records of the so-called Savage Ages.

“And with that, I guess, came some sort of belief that they’re more important than everyone else. That they stand above the rest just because they have things and know things that most others don’t. A few that I have had the misfortune of knowing, growing up, don’t even care if they have a little demon blood enter into their family tree so long as they have strong magic. It’s all a farce, Luz. It’s all one big Titan-forsaken joke and I don’t want to be a part of it. The only reason why it should matter at all is for healing and protecting yourself and your stuff. That’s it.”

Eda pauses here to breathe. She’s technically done brushing Luz’s hair by now but she’s been running her claws through it as she talked.

“When it comes to the kind of magic that says we’re family, that’s different. It is family magic that isn’t inherently permanent, isn’t predictable, nor is it tied to blood like most other family magic. So, of course, that’s bad and the Emperor hates it and you’ve got to cover that bond up with something else or cut it off and ignore it as soon as it’s noticed. Usually, it’s backed by an adoption ritual, which does use blood magic to make you related, but even if I were able to get my hands on everything to do one, even if I could do it legally, I don’t… It wouldn’t be a good idea for me to try.”

“Because of your curse?” Luz had been quiet up until this point. Not still, not at all. She’d been tapping away at her non-magical scroll it looks like and Eda wasn’t sure how she’d gotten it in her hands while Eda wasn’t aware, or if she’d been paying much attention at all to what Eda had been saying. Maybe she was and she was just taking notes or replying to her mom.

“Yeah. Because of my curse.”

“So then why did they call me ‘Little Clawthorne’?”

“I don’t know. I think Ash was just trying to be nice.”

“Okay. So, uh. What kind of stuff do you know?”

“Like what? Sorry, kid. You’re gonna have to elaborate.”

“I mean.” Luz huffs, shifting where she sat to get into a more comfortable position, “Like culture stuff? The things that you said some of the rich witches know. Maybe songs and stories that you’re okay with sharing? I just want to know some of the stuff you do, about how this whole,” She lets her human scroll drop into her lap as she gestures wildly as she talks, “world. How stuff works here that I wouldn’t know about because I wasn’t born into it. Because, because I realized something, right? While I was sick? My dreams have never been normal and I told you I dreamed about the isles before I even knew they existed, right? Like, that’s how I know my way around Bonesborough, I think I said this before? It feels like I did, anyway.

“My point- the point that I’m trying to make is that for all I’ve grown up around here through my dreams, nearly as much as I have back on Earth, I never learned a lot of stuff. I couldn’t process written words enough to remember them while awake so I couldn’t learn to read runes. I had no way to practice the magic that they taught in school. Almost everything else I think I’m missing out on was taught by parents at home and even when I wasn’t actually out there sleepwalking I still couldn’t just ghost my way through solid objects like doors.

“And, and if people are supposed to think that I’m a witch and not some human who tripped through the wrong door, shouldn’t I know at least some of what you were taught as a kid? By your parents and stuff? I hope Willow doesn’t remember me saying I couldn’t read runes. Oh my god, Eda, you should’ve shut me up by now I’ve been talking for too long. Why did you let me rant at you like that?”

“Didn’t feel like interrupting.” Was Eda’s only response to that question, “Would you like braids in your hair?” She thinks she has some small gemstones somewhere in the house she could use to decorate them with.

“Edaaa.”

“Alright, alright. I'll tell you a story or something. But seriously though, do you want braids in your hair?”

“Yeah, sure!”

It took several minutes to find what Eda had been thinking of to hold and decorate the tiny braids. Twine from that abandoned project that would now be put to good use and gemstones she checked over to make sure they were the same as the kind Luz picked out in the store. The threads were grey in color until they absorbed enough of one type of magic. When they did, they would begin to shift to that magic’s color signature and absorb only that magic from that point on. It made them stronger, less prone to breaking, and Eda knew a few witches who used this material to store extra magic in the event they needed it in a pinch.

“So. You want a story huh?”

“Yes, Eda.”

“Quit the pouting face, kid. I’m getting to it, just give me a minute to think. I’ve never had to tell a story like this. Honestly. You should have asked Lily if you wanted a bedtime story so bad.”

Luz was indeed pouting, “It’s not a bedtime story. I’m not gonna fall asleep and you tell stories great! That one with the spell circle you did on my first day here was really cool!”

“Sure, sure. Now try to keep your head still, I’m going to do a few of these…”

* * *

Long, long ago, before Emperor Belos came to power, before the Savage Ages, before anyone had thought to restrict magic so uniformly as it is done in modern times, there lived a witch. Her name isn't known anymore, but she lived in a village of about two hundred people. She was a healer and a hunter. She taught some of the neighbor’s children when she had the time, or when they chose that particular day to bother her incessantly. She gave lessons on the magic she used to heal, on how to cast whilst wielding a bow or another weapon. There was one girl in the village she taught some days how to weave and cook - for the only parents she had were her three fathers who did not know such things. There were a pair of twins who helped her run errands in exchange for food and sometimes a place to stay the night. She never asked why.

It was by no means a quiet life. There were witches of all sorts at all hours of the day coming and going from her home. There were even instances where she was asked to step away from her normal work to treat with intelligent demons. To some, she offered her potions and elixirs in exchange for protection should they stay in the area. For others, she offered her guidance to turn their attention elsewhere should they seek to cause destruction. There were many days and many nights, and many demons who had not wished to listen.

The witch was not an elder. She was too young for that even though the stress she put herself through had streaked her hair with gray. Nor was she the leader. She told others time and again how much work she already had. How much she already kept track of. She was simply a healer, a hunter. Occasionally, she was what one might call a protector and diplomat. Although, many could do what she did. And there were several who actually do. She was not special. She refused to believe in something as nonsensical as that.

When the ancient witch died, she was not afraid. Not of death, by far. She was not gone after all, and there were witches with eyes and ears attuned to those who have had their spirits separated from their bodies in one form or another. She had heard of the tales of the journey ahead of her, inconsistent in detail though they were, yet she had no memory of having experienced it herself.

She talked to the elders before she was to leave, her voice translated through the mouth of an oracle whom she called a friend, as the village mourned her passing, celebrated the life she had with them, and talked and talked and talked of her and what she had done and been for them.

With the rising of the pale, silvery eye of the Titan, the witch could no longer stay. She could not stay to see up close the witches and even the demons who would come by to visit the Resting Ground where her body had been laid. Next to a tree and with no magic to preserve the body. There was no want or need for it. It belonged to the Titan now, used to feed the silent being who gave them ground to walk and hunt and live upon. The ancient witch’s spirit rose with a current of magic up to join the pale sphere. She felt lighter and filled with more energy than she had in years as if a weight was being taken from her as she joined others in the sky and danced.

To dance alongside the silver twin and bathe in its brilliance is both a blessing and a promise: The opportunity to experience the Titan's power is always a souls’ final wish, but to be given permission to choose a new life is a right that not all are guaranteed by the Eye’s judgment. The dance is the spirit's show of gratitude and joy as it is reunited with an aspect of its creator, as well as the spirit's last chance to explore the energy in the air before it found a new purpose.

There is one such unintentional tradition of the spirits that persists through every dance; perhaps a lingering instinct from its time as a mortal. As a spirit races through the night, it may find itself in tandem with another with the same goal - though they will not be enemies in their search. They will guide each other, listening to feelings and whispers between them. Their dance will determine where they are reborn and sometimes even to whom. They will choose to stay with one another, even if one spirit finds a heart to beat before the other. If they have to, they will be patient. They may wait days, weeks - years before they choose to breathe again. Entering the cycle, again and again, braving the sea as many times as it takes.

Those who are reborn together often stay together, though they will not know it.

Most did not know of what awaits below the waves of the sea. Most knew that it was a dangerous place. To have the chance to live life on the Titan himself once more, the Witch whose name we do not know would need to go through it - however long it took - and reach the burning eye on the other side.

That was all well and good to know, but it did not prepare her for the boiling waters when the pale eye touched them. It did not prepare her for the drop as she plummeted from the sky down into the ocean. The light that she wore around her like a winter coat was stripped away from her, and if she still had lungs she’d be breathless from the shock of it.

The current of magic turned into a riptide of water as she was pushed and pulled back alongside other spirits around her. They were all vying for the same space, all trying to get ahead of one another. She was among them, though she did not pull others from reaching the same goal everyone wanted in the roiling water. Here, what little light they had leftover from the pale eye was all they had to light their way, and the witch saw safety and sight with numbers. To her, it made more sense to band together than it did to compete.

And yet down in the depths, she could not speak.

It soon grew abundantly clear, though, why no one clustered together: For a monster from below shot up with a speed that displaced the witch and everyone around her. The creature was massive, and more than one spirit fell to its jaws. There were more like it, the witch found out. More sea demons big enough to swallow her whole and would without hesitation if given half the chance. Those that didn’t, she supposed, would resort to eating each other.

As she swam, the witch could not tell how much time had passed. She was alone, now, for as far as her weakening light could reach. With the last of her light flickering, threatening to send her into the dark to wander lost and afraid and alone. She could feel a current once again, drawing her closer to a sphere of liquid fire slowly rising from below.  
  


She had made it.

The fire was hotter than anything she’d ever felt, hotter than the water she had only just gotten used to, but that didn’t matter.

Of all the spirits who had passed from their mortal lives to be swept up by the pale eye that night and forced to dance in the boiling sea, there were only two whom she recognized. Paired, they were. Dancing even in the blistering water, even this far into their journey, winding around and around each other with barely a way to tell where one ended and the other began. The witch watched as the two separated from the pull of the current that now held them like a vice. They kept close even as the brighter eye broke the surface of the sea and brought the three of them into the sky once more.

The witch doesn’t know what happened to those two or where they went. As the burning eye rose, the magical current weakened, spread out into the air, and allowed them all to descend back down to the Titan below. They had waved goodbye to her before running off, laughing and playing. The witch would not follow them. She did not want to intrude, and she had a heart of her own to find so she could live once more.

* * *

Luz was hanging onto consciousness by barely anything but her teeth by the end of the story, nearly snoring with nine new pastel-colored braids in her hair. Eda didn’t know where that tale had come from, but she’s glad to have shared it. It’s probably something she passively remembers tuning out of during class when she was younger. It could be a fairy tale for all she knew. It sure felt like one. She couldn’t be bothered to wrack her brain enough to find a real answer.

“Get to sleep, kid. We’re going out to set up the stand tomorrow and you’re gonna need the rest.”

“Noooo.”

“C’mon, Luz.”

“NOOOO.” Luz’s protest this time was louder, more of a whine than the grumpy groan like the first one. Her own reluctance was shaking off the calm she’d put herself in, and Eda could already feel the headache of needing to fight the kid into letting herself relax.

“Don’t make me use a sleep spell on you.”

There was a long beat of silence where Eda thought, for a moment, Luz had fallen asleep, before she spoke up from underneath her blankets, “Would that help me not sleepwalk again?”

Eda wanted to curse. Instead, she took a second to breathe.  
  
“Yeah. It would. But it’s not the best if you want to rest. I could give you a sleep spell that would make you drowsy, but it wouldn’t solve the problem. Normally, it would make you unconscious for a while, but when you wake up you would feel as if you had only closed your eyes for a few minutes at best.”

Luz hummed sleepily before responding. “What about a potion?”

King whispered from behind Eda in a small conspiratory voice, snickering the whole time, “You can always just knock her head once or twice. Humans are fragile, it wouldn’t take that much effort.” 

What a wonderful suggestion. Perhaps Eda will use that on King later tonight for even voicing such a terrible thought like that. Even if it was, honestly, par for the course with him.

“Since you’re here, King.” She whispered back with a grin that matched his tone, “You can make sure Luz doesn’t go anywhere.”

She may or may not have used a bit of magic to drop him on top of the human and left the room quickly, just as they both screeched at each other in the same way she and Lily used to do over the stupidest things.

“ _King!_ ”

“Eda put me here it’s not my fault!”

“Ow! I don’t care, just move over your claws are sharp!”

Ah, the sweet sound of sibling bickering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eda closed the door to Luz’s room carefully. She’s got a lot to go through today. Some of the old junk that she pulled from the Trash Slug could do with another look over before it went to the stand. Some of her own junk she could do with sorting through, if for no other reason than finding something like, say, snails that she stashed away for later. Titan only knows how she would have avoided using it until now, but if she happens across some she’s not going to look a gift pegasus in the mouth.
> 
> Mostly because they bite.
> 
> Going over the junk from the Trash Slug Junk didn’t take long at all. She considered keeping the table with the sun and moon motif. Just because Luz would probably like it and not because of the story she had just told. Of course not.
> 
> When she went and chose a room at random to pick through and clean, however, she hadn’t expected to find some dusty, battered old journal in the mix. Especially not one with pages full of odd rambling paragraphs, half written notes that stop mid-word, and pieces of poetry of all things.
> 
> The fact that it was in her own handwriting only cemented the idea that this thing was probably better left hidden. If only because she can’t recall writing one damned thing in it.

**Author's Note:**

> *Taking a hard right turn from Canon from the very beginning*  
> This is MY world now


End file.
